Prolapsed vent in tiny silkie

[StepfordCuckoos]

Our tiniest chicken (a buff frizzle silkie named Goldilocks) has what appears to be a prolapsed vent. I tried to help her without pushing it back up in her body ( I just sort of held it against her backside and hoped she'd somehow guide it in naturally, that probably makes zero sense though). She's now on her own with fresh bedding and water. I don't know what else I can do. I feel terrible. Online it says that if it is caught early then there is a chance you can save them. I did not see this prior to about 30 minutes ago. She isn't acting off at all.

She is so extremely tiny that we are always worried about her being roughed up by the other chickens. To the extent that maybe six months ago we brought her inside when we noticed that she was nearly bald. During that time she got all of her feathers back but developed (what we think was) wry neck. That seemed to go away once we took her back outside and had her in her own coop ( and gave her some extra nutrients ).

Do you guys have any suggestions to help her?

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures may help. It is important to keep a prolapse moist with honey, or sugar syrup, or a mild cream/ointment until the prolapse goes back in, or is able to be pushed inside? How old is she? If she lays eggs, I would give her 1/2 of a human calcium with d3 tablet of Tums. Is she drinking some water?

 

[azygous]

Yes, please tell us her age and if she's currently laying. In addition to what @Eggcessive has suggested, hydrocortisone cream can help reduce swelling and help the prolapse retract. But if a stuck egg is involved, the prolapse will not resolve until the obstruction resolves. Calcium will help produce contractions so that the egg can be expelled.

 

[StepfordCuckoos]

Pictures may help. It is important to keep a prolapse moist with honey, or sugar syrup, or a mild cream/ointment until the prolapse goes back in, or is able to be pushed inside? How old is she? If she lays eggs, I would give her 1/2 of a human calcium with d3 tablet of Tums. Is she drinking some water?

She is laying. She was hatched in September of 2021. I've inserted a picture, it is very graphic . Please excuse the state of her feathers. We are constantly battling this with her (she went through a similar period where her feather looked like this and we isolated her inside and they grew back beautifully. she's been back with the flock for a while now and is back to this), and cannot find a saddle that is small enough to fit her. All the ones we've ordered have been too big. I've even tried sewing one myself and it didn't work out.

 

[StepfordCuckoos]

Yes, please tell us her age and if she's currently laying. In addition to what @Eggcessive has suggested, hydrocortisone cream can help reduce swelling and help the prolapse retract. But if a stuck egg is involved, the prolapse will not resolve until the obstruction resolves. Calcium will help produce contractions so that the egg can be expelled.

I inserted a picture into my previous reply. I'm not sure if there is an egg that is stuck, I tried feeling for one but I don't know what I would be feeling if there was one.

 

[azygous]

Most of the time you won't feel an egg unless it's right there inside the cloaca, and then you will see it, not just feel it. I don't suggest trying to feel for an egg because it's a useless exercise almost all the time.

Because of this, we can't know if an egg is actually hung up in these cases so we play it safe and give the calcium just in case. It won't harm the hen, and giving it can keep her from dying. Have you ever heard of "sudden death syndrome"? A hen can die when her shell gland, in trying to make a shell, uses up every bit of calcium in her body and has to draw upon the calcium in her blood. This deprives her heart of the calcium needed to keep it beating, and she dies of a heart attack.

So, giving a calcium when there's a prolapse just seems like something one would want to do since it won't hurt the hen and can prevent her dying.