Please help my hen has an egg outside her body but trapped by membrane

[psimons2004]

Oh I am so sorry you are dealing with this. It is SO hard to know what to do. I am certainly no expert but have had several severe injuries within my flock lately. One piece of advice I have been given regularly is that if in 2 days they are not considerably better that it may be kinder to cull them. This being said, I couldn't do it! Needless to say, I will spend my Christmas at home, not traveling, so I can individually feed my two 'special' chickens. I wish I had better advice for you. Maybe she looks uncomfortable because she is cold. Sounds like she is used to the body heat of her coop mates. Best of luck and keep us updated!!!! Is she still not eating? Poor babe.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes..in my flock this bird would have been culled immediately. One reason would be to put her out of her suffering. Another reason is that she may prolapse again if she has done it before....and there we would be again with a suffering bird, anxiety over the suffering bird and trying to fix the problem in a humane manner. It all goes around in circles after awhile and I don't do things that way.

I think the OP was brave in what she did, though...if you are going to try and save a bird, grit your teeth and do the sometimes hurtful things that need to be done.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

i dont think you should cull her. thats what everyone was telling me to do on here in the beginning. my rosey is doing wonderful now. it takes a few days. think about what she has been through she isnt going to be herself for a few days. i know what you are going through. you dont want her to suffer but you dont want to lose her either. mine is a pet she wasnt just a chicken in the yard for egg purposes to me. that makes a difference ( to me anyway). is there a vet you can take her to? i dont know about doind the surgery yourself and not stitching i took rosey to the vet. i was afraid i would kill her. her system needs a little time to recover so give her a few days maybe her appetite will come back. i remember rosey not wanting to eat for a little while either. i brought grasshoppers in to her and she just turned away from it. it worried me i thought she would die because she never would turn down a grasshopper. think about how us humans feel when we are sick we dont want to eat much either. so give her a few days you maybe surprised. keep us informed

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Quote:
oh and just because that happens doesnt mean it will keep happening.

 

[Beekissed]

No, it doesn't. But who wants to take that chance?

When you keep birds for production purposes, you really can't afford to nurse one along that may have recurring problems. Pet flocks have a different purpose, so one can play nursemaid to those without it eating into one's time and production....it's sort of WHY people keep chickens as pets, isn't it? To spend TIME on chickens...as a hobby.

Some of us have other uses for our time that we deem more valuable than tending to injured and sick chickens.

 

[loopipi]

Hi,
I gave Josefina a bath and put some antiseptic on her bum. She does not want to eat or drink. I am droppering her water. She is definitely not feeling well but, when I let her out in the afternoon she joins the flock. She just stands there and watches the other chickens peck around. She roosts at night with the others. I took the heat lamp out of the coop as I don't want her to get any light at all. I am hoping that tomorrow am she will be better or I am going to have to take measures to put her out of her misery. I don't want her to suffer. I am hopeful that like your Rosie she will make a turn toward the good but, not optimistic. I called a vet and they want 90 dollars to inject her (put her down). I think the trip to the vet and being handled would be very stressful for her. So I have enlisted My Step Father who spent his summers on a chicken farm. He said that if I want he will come over tomorrow am and cull her if she is still sick ( that is if I can handle actually following through with it). I am praying for the poor thing. I have only ever lost one other chicken. My birds are pets. That was a sudden death and still a mystery to me. This is the sad part about having birds. Will update you all later. Thank you for your support..

 

[Beekissed]

I think you are brave all around. Making the decision to put a pet out of suffering is courageous and selfless and I commend you for it.

It takes a wise and compassionate person to love a creature enough to know that, when you've done all you can, sometimes the kindest thing is to put her down.

 

[loopipi]

My vet does not normally take birds. The vet I would have to go to is over an hour away. I told them what had happend to her... and they said they would put her down... Chickens are considered EXOTIC pets here in MN? I guess... there are very few vet's that handle them... It is weird... I live close to the city - but, did not think a chicken would be considered "Exotic"... I pay 35 dollars to bring my dog to the vet and the Avian Vet costs 75 to look at your bird... ? weird...

 

[Beekissed]

Supply and demand...very few do it so they can charge a premium for their services.

 

[chesko]

I certainly hope you get this resolved. I lost one hen to illness a few months ago, and only after reading this thread, I realize it was probably caused by prolapse. When I removed her body from the coop, only then did I notice the egg hanging from her rear (strangely, I never saw it when she would come out of the coop, which was no longer a common occurrence once she became ill). I didn't know what to think about the egg I saw. Was it there for long? Was it relevant to her condition? Now I think it must have been.