My pullet has protruding vent and odd body shape...Please Help!

[Eggcessive]

I had a couple of hens who were laying and both sisters of the same hatch and parents. I found one day that both would slightly prolapse when laying eggs. I tried pushing them back inside, but with their straining and struggling when handled, they just coming back out. When I finally left them alone, they were fine and just went back inside. They seemed to both have an overly relaxed vent, and though it would come out a bit with laying eggs, it always went back inside on it’s own.

 

[NewToThisFarmLife]

I don’t know if I can offer much help or not. Most prolapses are in hens of laying age, or in baby chicks which may be birth defects or seen during straining to poop. I would think that hers is a birth defect. Are you positive that she is a pullet? I cannot see anything that looks cockerel, but just wanted to ask since the tail feathers are long. I don’t know if a vet might be able to put a stitch in the vent, just to keep it from popping out, but then there might be a problem with constipation. I think you may have to just see how it goes. When she starts laying, maybe the vent opening will get more stretched. I just haven’t seen this particular problem, though. You might try giving her some wet feed to get more fluids into her.

Thanks for your insight! I don’t think constipation is an issue...she never seems to struggle at all to poop. Maybe I’ll try some wet feed...can’t hurt and everyone will think it’s a treat!

 

[NewToThisFarmLife]

She's a mix breed.
Looks like Legbar crossed with Yokohama.
If that's the case then it's no surprise her tail is held down and that it's that long. Both of those genes are dominant.

I'm thinking she has an infection in her vent that is causing it to swell and push out. Have you tried antibiotics?

She is supposed to be an Ameraucana...I purchased her from a reputable hatchery. I’ll look more into the two breeds you mentioned. I think her tail being down is just a result of being born with gigantic wings that pinned her tail down when she was little?

The only antibiotics I’ve used have been in the form of the ointment I put on before putting the “button” back in...I switch between antibiotic cream and prep H. Do you have any other ideas about what I could use?

 

[NewToThisFarmLife]

Can you feel if her spine feeks straight and normal? Is her tail at an angle besides pointing down?

Is her keel straight?

All of these could be the result of genetics or a problem during incubation that has caused her to be malformed and hunchbacked.

However I'm not sure how that would cause what could be a small prolapse.

What is her stool like? Have you tried probiotics since shess had this trouble?

If she was a shipped chick it's not uncommon for them to get pasty butt. If she had it and strained excessively she could prolapse. I've had good luck treating prolapses due to pasty butt with hemorrhoid ointment but I've never had one that went on for so long.

Her vent looks like she could be getting close to point of lay to me possibly.

I would also suggest trimming some of the feathers around her vent to keep the poop from sticking to her. Most chickens change their position when they pass feces so it falls away from them. If she has a deformity she may not be able to make such a motion. I've also seen a few chickens that just aren't to be bothered to do such a thing as.

Not to be too gross but it could also be a yeast infection. Is there a smell about her? You could try and over the counter women's yeast infection cream but I don't know the dosage for that treatment as I've never had to do it. I'm sure some other people will chime in as well.

Everything about her feels normal...I haven’t had any worries about the actual structure of her body. I do think the tail points down because since she was little she’s always had massive wings that wrapped over the tail (I used to call her my condor). There also isn’t any odor that makes me believe it’s a yeast infection.

She is a normal pooper...and doesn’t seem to struggle to go. Her tail just results in some sticking to her. I will try your suggestion to trim feathers...I’m just afraid of how to do it without hurting her or making them bleed. Any tips?

She wasn’t a shipped chick...we drove to the hatchery to get them and she didn’t get pasty bum for a couple days. Then we’ve had bum issues since. I tried an electrolyte and vitamin solution but haven’t tried probiotics because I didn’t have any concern about the quality/quantity of her poop. I suppose there’s no harm in trying at this point...as long as it doesn’t affect the other girls too much. What is your best probiotic go-to?

 

[NewToThisFarmLife]

I had a couple of hens who were laying and both sisters of the same hatch and parents. I found one day that both would slightly prolapse when laying eggs. I tried pushing them back inside, but with their straining and struggling when handled, they just coming back out. When I finally left them alone, they were fine and just went back inside. They seemed to both have an overly relaxed vent, and though it would come out a bit with laying eggs, it always went back inside on it’s own.

My hope if we can’t resolve her issue now is that her body will just deal with it when it comes time to lay...however I’ve also heard terrible stories and as a newbie to chickens I’m terrified of the worst case scenario. Your story gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe it’ll all work out okay.

 

[Birdsong 82]

As long as you trim the black feathers. The ones that don’t have quill. That’s what I did and I trimmed the fluff around her but. Since those don’t have a quill they won’t bleed. I also used preparation H and Neosporin. The best thing you can do is keep it moist and not let it dry out. If it dries up it can cause a problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

As Rachael said, keeping the pink prolapsed “button” moist so it doesn’t dry out is important. In most links they recommend honey, preparation H cream, but now some people such as The Chicken Chick are using hydrocortisone cream. I would not use that every day in large amounts, but occasional use is okay.