prolapsed vent- egg bound? soaking in tub now need help with next step

[aggiemae]

Back round: one of our Buff Orps gets frequent baths for major poopy butt but until yesterday her vent looked ok once it was cleaned. Now she has prolapse about 12 -3 o'clock on her vent. I tucked it in after the bath and when I rechecked her in the evening the prolapse was back out and her butt feathers where covered with sticky whit stuff the consistency of Elmer's glue and just as sticky but there is no odor at all, so it's not gleet. I tried to soak it off but it was stuck so I tucked the bulge back in and gave her a big squirt of Prep H and applied medium pressure for about 15 minutes then put her on the perch for the night. This morning she wouldn't jump down so I was able to check her when I helped her and her vet looks ok, The white sticky stuff iI couldn't get off last night is still there but there isn't any new new discharge.

I let her out if the run so she couldn't get at the food in hopes this would stop her from laying but she was in the nest box for a couple of hours so now I am wondering if she is retaining an egg.

I have her soaking in (lavender) Epsom salts right now, which has been all I have had to do in the past with large eggs that get stuck but I don't know how to check for a retained egg or what to do if there is one.

She is not in any obvious distress. There isn't any bleeding or infection though her vent is puffy the prolapse seems to be resolved or at least not popping out again.

I planed to put her in a dark room to stop her laying till she heals but it doesn't seem like the right thing to do if she is sitting in the nest box wanting to lay.

I did read many of the existing posts on this topic but so few have follow ups that I am reluctant to follow them without additional advice. Any wisdom would be appreciated.

 

[iwiw60]

Here's an excellent page for just that:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=prolapse

 

[aggiemae]

the current problem is determining if she is egg bound and what to do about it if warms soaks are not working. I did an internal exam with my index finger and can't feel an egg but she has returned to the nest box. She isn't broody.

 

[aggiemae]

I did figure out that the gross glue like stuff oozing out of he vent is a combination of the Prep H and the urea in her poop sticking to her wet feathers. I blow dried her butt after her afternoon soak and sprayed her butt feathers with Pam.

It's 7:30 PM. Her bottom is slightly puffy but the prolapse has not re-occurred. She is not over weight and has not eaten anything, aside from bugs she forged this morning since last night so I let her out for a stretch and some food and water. Her vent is pulsating like crazy but no egg.

She can sleep in the coop tonight unless she has a problem getting up to the roost. I will bring he in at 5:30 when I open the coop. After she gets her morning drink and a small meal I will put her in her dark box till evening.



Questions:

Can I stop the soaks if the prolapse doesn't return?

Will she drink in the dark?

Can she go for 12 hours without water?

 

[aggiemae]

UPDATE:

Buffy's vent recovered and she laid without problems till a few weeks ago when she had another prolapse. I treated her and despite an infestation on maggots (gross) and after two days her vent looks pretty good though she was not eating. We put her back into the yard and I could see she wasn't doing very well so later that afternoon we ended her suffering.