deacons
Songster
Had a bit of a scare with one of my 2 year old Golden Comets just now while putting the girls to bed.
*Sorry this is a bit graphic, not sure how to describe it politely*
She was walking to the coop and paused to poop. But she was having trouble, just stood there straining uncomfortably. Walked a few steps, still trying to go, but nothing was coming out. All of a sudden, her straining produced what looked like a marble sized piece of flesh surrounding the poop, that appeared to be stuck. She kept walking, stopping, straining, and turning around poking at it with her beak. Obviously very uncomfortable looking. I've never had a hen with a prolapse before, but I thought we were going in that direction based on other things I've read over the years.
I went into the garage to find the old cat carrier to bring her into the house and try to help her, but by the time I got back out, she seemed to have resolved it. Her vent had gone back to normal, and I didn't find any strange droppings or any other strange object that would have come out of her. She didn't seem swollen around the vent and had no flesh hanging out of the vent. I felt around her belly, it was not protruding or hot or swollen. I didn't feel around in her vent as it was about 15* out and the logistics seemed challenging
So anyway...now what? I will of course keep an eye on her, but I'm not sure if I should do anything else. Since she seemed normal, I left her out in the coop on the roost with everyone else. It's been so cold out, I always worry about them drinking enough. I know sometimes with horses, not drinking can lead to impactions/difficulty pooping because the poop is too dry to pass easily. I don't think this is an eggbound type issue, as I didn't see any stuck egg or shells. They always have access to free choice oyster shell and I do know this girl eats it frequently. Is there anything else I should be doing for her to prevent her from having this kind of difficulty pooping? I'm sure continued straining will only make things worse if she has the early stages of a problem. Any advice?
*Sorry this is a bit graphic, not sure how to describe it politely*
She was walking to the coop and paused to poop. But she was having trouble, just stood there straining uncomfortably. Walked a few steps, still trying to go, but nothing was coming out. All of a sudden, her straining produced what looked like a marble sized piece of flesh surrounding the poop, that appeared to be stuck. She kept walking, stopping, straining, and turning around poking at it with her beak. Obviously very uncomfortable looking. I've never had a hen with a prolapse before, but I thought we were going in that direction based on other things I've read over the years.
I went into the garage to find the old cat carrier to bring her into the house and try to help her, but by the time I got back out, she seemed to have resolved it. Her vent had gone back to normal, and I didn't find any strange droppings or any other strange object that would have come out of her. She didn't seem swollen around the vent and had no flesh hanging out of the vent. I felt around her belly, it was not protruding or hot or swollen. I didn't feel around in her vent as it was about 15* out and the logistics seemed challenging
So anyway...now what? I will of course keep an eye on her, but I'm not sure if I should do anything else. Since she seemed normal, I left her out in the coop on the roost with everyone else. It's been so cold out, I always worry about them drinking enough. I know sometimes with horses, not drinking can lead to impactions/difficulty pooping because the poop is too dry to pass easily. I don't think this is an eggbound type issue, as I didn't see any stuck egg or shells. They always have access to free choice oyster shell and I do know this girl eats it frequently. Is there anything else I should be doing for her to prevent her from having this kind of difficulty pooping? I'm sure continued straining will only make things worse if she has the early stages of a problem. Any advice?
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