plugged vent?

[BetsyB3]

Yikes ~ I think I have a hen with a plugged vent! She is huge and feels FULL of eggs.
What should I do??

 

[Chicabee19]

oh no! I'm so sorry...

hopefully someone with experience will be here soon to give you some decent advice. I think they'll tell you to lube up and check her vent digitally - see if you can feel and work out eggs w/o breaking them. In the end sometimes you have to break and do your best to get the shells out w/o cutting her.

sad way to join us, but

you'll find a great community here!

 

[nnbreeder]

Sadly this is a time for a vet to intervene. She is either an internal layer or could have EYP, in either case the outcome is usually not good. A vet can cut her open and clean her out plus take out the egg laying organs to prevent it from happening again. In the case of EYP about all that can be done is to draw fluid off on occasion to give her more time. Sorry that there is no good news.

 

[BetsyB3]

Thank you for the responses yesterday about my hen (with what I thought was a plugged vent and she was full of eggs). She was actually FULL of super hard yellow huge round things which looked like scrambled eggs tumors ~ could this happen???
I turned her upside down on my lap and tried to gently see if I could feel a stuck egg. This big flesh looking tumor thing started to come out of her vent and she died.
I then decided to do an autopsy of sorts (I NOT a vet) and when I cut her open, she was super full of what looked liked cooked eggs! I would appreciate any responses. It was sad, bizzare and interesting all at the same time!

 

[spook]

:aww So sad. I have read that other folks have had something like this happen to them. It was very brave and kind that you attempted to help her. You may not feel it, but you are a great chicken momma. Many Hugs!

 

[omelette'smom]

wow! I am sooooo sorry!!

 

[nnbreeder]

She was an internal layer, The eggs dropped out of her reproductive system before getting a shell and passing normally. Here is a thread from here at BYC discussing the condition. http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=diseasecasestudies&action=display&num=1169201098

 

[jasminty]

I am so sorry for your loss

Yesterday I lost my favorite sweetest girl to internal laying.
I couldn't find a vet who would treat her for this, and was afraid to try to "treat" her myself as I have never dressed/cleaned a bird and was terrified that I would remove the wrong parts, though I did consider it many times out of desperation.
Once they start laying internally they will always have this problem unless they get a chicken hyseterectomy. basically what you saw was the yolk that cooked in her body. I guess this (internal laying) can be common in production breeds/ hens that are prolific layers esp as they get older. I hadn't heard of it before a couple weeks ago, when I discovered she was not well.
In any case, she seemed to be hanging in there until yesterday she seemed to be suffering so we decided we would cull her now, but by the time I had gotten back from the hardware store with the supplies she had already passed. It was relief for me that she passed on her own as I have just been sick over the thought of having to do it (hoping some way to save her would present itself), but I also didnt want her to suffer.

I just adopted her and her sister early spring and they are just over 3 years old. They are my first hens. I am very sad.

BUT I have learned an amazing amount of info here from lots of generous, kind, people. So I just wanted to say I'm sorry and welcome to BYC.

Maybe our girls will keep each other company in chicken heaven

 

[Chicabee19]

so all that stuff was yoke?

so sorry she died. but brave of you to find out why!

 

[jasminty]

yeah, "The eggs dropped out of her reproductive system before getting a shell and passing normally". They sit in the abdomen and the body heat just cooks it in there. The link nnbreeder posted has good info in it. I still wish I would have been brave enough to try to fix her myself, but just couldn't bare the thought of her suffering even more if I screwed up.... and I am no way qualified to do it...
At least I know she had lots of love since she was with me.