Newbie needing help quickly please!

[HelenRen]

Have you felt inside her vent?
Sometimes just doing that will open up enough to let her expel what's in there.
No first aid supplies on hand at all?
If tissue is getting exposed, you can apply a bit of vaseline or honey.

I finally felt inside her vent while my nephew held her. I tried twice and couldn't feel anything there. I'm sure I put my finger in far enough, but no blockage that I could feel. Hopefully doing it will have helped. I have vaseline, so can apply that.

 

[HelenRen]

Okay, it's getting dark outside now so the girls will be heading to bed soon. Holly is going to spend the night in her new little run-for-one in a cat basket to give her some peace. Time for a much-neeed shower for me! Let's see what the morning brings. I can't thank you all enough for your help. I was feeling alone with this worry, I don't now.

 

[NatJ]

I'm now sitting indoors at night worrying that Holly is going to have her eyes pecked out by rats because the cat basket is on the ground and wire mesh on the door to the basket and the coop itself is probably rat-sized. Just when I'd decided to stop worrying until the morning!

Maybe you could bring the cat basket into the house for the night?
Then you could hopefully quit worrying and sleep in peace, knowing that she is safe.

 

[Chicalina]

those pics are much better. It is hard to see the vent in the second one to see if it is prolapsed as it is covered in poop. in the first pic it looks OK (except for the bleeding)

You need to clean her up a bit, not least because flies will start to bother her and you don't want them laying their eggs and hatching maggots in the vent area or feathers below it. Just dunk her butt in some warm water, and then dry her off when she is clean, she doesnt need a whole body bath. If she is egg bound, a warm soak can help anyway.

if she has a prolapse then it is small and you can push it in and apply some haemorrhoid cream to shrink it. I cannot tell from those pics though yet.

if you pick her up and put one hand under her abdomen and press your fingers gently upward towards her pelvis between her legs, you may feel a hard round lump which is an egg in transit. warm soaks and vaseline or olive oil inside the vent can help ease it out.

I'm more concerned about the blood tbh. This could be a sign of disease like coccidiosis. Perhaps @Eggcessive or @Wyorp Rock can help and certainly know all the right questions to ask you.

How old is she?

 

[HelenRen]

Oh goodness, we've only had her since March and she was at point of lay. I'll clean her up and try to get a better photo. In the meantime, I'd really appreciate any more thoughts. Thanks ever so much.

 

[HelenRen]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. I'm more than a little overwhelmed and wishing I had some backup with me here. I'll take another look at her now, try and check for any blockages and take it from there. Thanks again, I'll update later...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Great video, very informative!

As for egg binding I just didn't explain what I meant well enough, my apologies. Was trying to keep it really simple. It is easy enough to feel and compare a hen about to lay an egg (or has one stuck) and one who doesn't, but not so easy to describe it. I'm sure you are way better at explaining things than me!

It easy enough to feel if one is stuck by feeling inside the vent, not the abdomen between the legs below the vent.

 

[HelenRen]

That's a good idea about the pen. Sometimes a cry helps too! Go get your big girl underwear on and get stuck in to sorting it! You are doing great. Hope your nephew helps because 4 hands are better than 2!

Ah, thank you...that made me smile!

 

[HelenRen]

Was there a very foul odor coming from her rear end? That's how you can tell if it's vent gleet.
If you trim back fluff and feathers, dont trim back too much. Urates in feces will scald her skin causing redness and inflammation, probably painful too.

I haven't smelled anything bad, but admittedly haven't ventured right close. All her fluff is already gone. I've trimmed the dirty feathers before reading this - hopefully not too much. She just seems to be continually dirty though.

 

[HelenRen]

Garlic and Greek yoghurt are easy to get. Just dried garlic mixed in the water will do, nothing special.

Supermarkets will stock electrolyte mix or you can make your own if you google it for the proportions. They should also have ACV in the healthfood aisle but don't sweat it if you can't get it.

Chicken vitamins are probably only available at the feed store or you can order online. Liquid Vits for human babies can be used instead.

Its a good idea to get some of this stuff anyway, as essential home chicken remedies if any of them get ill or seem off in the future. It just helps to boost their systems and fight off an illness, restore good gut flora, etc.

You are so, so kind and your help is very much appreciated. I will stock up on what I can tomorrow and order anything I can't. I've really been caught unprepared.