possible prolapse. please help

[trameghan]

My friend has a 4 yr old with what i think is a prolapse. She's not sure how long it's been like that but she thinks several weeks. we will try to find a vet for her tomorrow but money is tight. Is this hen able to be saved and if so, what can be done?

 

[MrsBrooke]

Yes, there is hope.

Isolate this chicken immediately away from the others until she is fully recuperated. A dog crate in a warm (80ish degrees), quiet, dim place works well.

Clean the wound thoroughly with warm Epsom salt water (you can get Epsom salts at Walgreens). Epsom has magnesium in it that will relax the hen's vent area. Use the plain kind - no scented. If you have the means, giving her a "spa soak" for her bottom half will help relax her as well. She may even fall asleep during.

Grab some Preperation H while you're at Walgreens and, once you have her all nice and clean (assuming there are no open wounds - treat those with Neosporin) and slather the area well.

Give her a minute and see if you can *gently* press it in. It may pop back in on its own or you may have to treat it a few more times over the course of a few days. This should help the tension and the swelling.

Let us know what happens!

MrsB

 

[trameghan]

I picked up her chicken about 30 min ago. I'm not sure its a prolapse now. There was poo all over her bum so i cleaned that up as best as i could. I may just pluck it tomorrow morning. There was a soft eg shell stuck in the mess and some brown crusties around her vent. The worst part is the maggots. They were all over her vent and some are still in a hole or something right under her vent. I have no clue what is going on....

 

[casportpony]

You need to clean her thoroughly NOW, not tomorrow. All maggots need to be removed. Look up "fly strike", it can kill them! Get her inside, get her warm and start cleaning her.

-Kathy

 

[MrsBrooke]

I picked up her chicken about 30 min ago. I'm not sure its a prolapse now. There was poo all over her bum so i cleaned that up as best as i could. I may just pluck it tomorrow morning. There was a soft eg shell stuck in the mess and some brown crusties around her vent. The worst part is the maggots. They were all over her vent and some are still in a hole or something right under her vent. I have no clue what is going on....

This is called fly strike.

A chicken with a poopy butt will attract flies that lay eggs in all the warm, dark crannies. Those maggots hatch and start feasting on the tissue. It is *very* painful and can lead to death.

1) Wash the area well with warm soapy water.
2) Remove every. single. maggot you can see. This is tedious and fun.
3) Flush the wound with chlorihexidine (you can get it at Walgreens/CVS where they keep the hydrogen peroxide). I would avoid hydrogen peroxide and/or betadine - both cause tissue damage in chickens.
4) Dry the wound thoroughly.
5) Apply either iodine or Vetericyn spray. (Do NOT use antibiotic ointment... maggots love warm, goopy hiding places.)

Repeat these steps twice a day (at least) until the maggots are gone and the infection is fully healed. As long as the wound is clean, and you are treating with chlorihexidine and iodine, you shouldn't need antibiotics.

Keep us posted on her progress!

MrsB

 

[casportpony]

Quote: X2!

-Kathy

 

[MrsBrooke]

You need to clean her thoroughly NOW, not tomorrow. All maggots need to be removed. Look up "fly strike", it can kill them! Get her inside, get her warm and start cleaning her.

-Kathy

X2.

Isolate, clean, and get her warm ASAP!!

MrsB

 

[trameghan]

I cleaned her up the best i could. i had to rush it because i work 2nd shift. I got as many maggots as i could but they keep crawling into her vent. I went in with tweezers and only got 3 more. I will clean her again after work. I'll try to flush her vent with iodine. It looks like she got eggbound at some point or something because some of the stuff i picked off looked like cooked egg. my friend says that she thinks it has been 3 weeks this has been going on. Hopefully i can save her but i did not expect to find what i did!

 

[casportpony]

The cooked egg stuff is probably pus from infection and I bet that you'll find raw flesh under it after you get it removed. All debris, maggots,pus, egg, etc, must be removed when you finish your shift at work.

-Kathy

 

[MrsBrooke]

Chicken puss is a hard, cheesy substance (think ricotta), as opposed to mammal puss that is runny and liquid.

You're doing great. Just be sure to clean her as thoroughly as possible as soon as you can to prevent an infection from spreading. <3

And keep plucking out those maggots!

MrsB