Thanks Carlie, we're going to keep trying, but at the same time, we don't want her to get infected and suffer....its been three days and I just discovered what it was today, so I'll keep trying. She laid an egg yesterday and again today....what if she doesn't stop laying? Both eggs have blood on them and I fear she'll get infected....but we're not giving up yet....will keep you posted....thanks again from Maine
Try not to worry too much! I just went through this with my hen and was convinced it would not resolve, but it did. CarlieO has good advice!
I only began treating my hen's prolapse on the 2nd or 3rd day. I treated for about 3 days, then stopped entirely and left her alone for a week. It then returned on its own. What breed is the hen?
You can try bathing her in warm water (blow dry if you do). You can try putting the prolapse back in, but in many cases if it isn't ready it won't stay. For me, I had to wait until the prolapse went in on its own accord.
You can apply honey or Witch Hazel to help shrink it - also antibiotic ointment if you're worried about infection. Warm bathing will help to keep it clean even if there is a secretion from the vent. Soaks of 15+ minutes are good if you can keep the lower part of her body in the water for that long.
Laying can definitely set back your progress. I might try separating her and restricting feed, because egg laying doesn't allow the prolapse to heal. After she is separated, she may lay another egg before she stops producing them. On the other hand, if she's an extremely nervous chicken...separating may not be a good idea. I would try it and see if you can allow her to relax in a dark area.
Don't give up. If she's still acting normally, eating, and drinking, then that's a good sign. Some have had their prolapses resolved after many weeks.
If you decide to do some treatment, I recommend buying some disposable rubber gloves, as you may go through several
