prolapsed vent

[DuckGirl77]

Hi I have a Barred Rock hen who has what looks like a prolapsed vent. I noticed some blood on her vent on Saturday, but foolishly thought it was nothing to worry about. She is acting perfectly normal except I haven't seen her eating her layer pellets but that doesn't mean she isn't. My mom did some research and told me she read that witch hazel and hemorrhoidal ointment are supposed to work with this. We picked some up today. Has anyone used this? If so, how much and how often?
If you need any pictures, I'd be happy to post some, but I need to clean her up a bit first or you won't have much to look at!
Yesterday, I put her in the bathtub with some epsom salt, trimmed the feathers around her vent, and cleaned her off a little but not too much because I didn't want to hurt her. I'm going to put her in the tub and work on it again tonight. I also tried to push it back in, but she pushed it back out every time. She seems perfectly comfortable except when I try to push it back in. I put her on the other side of the coop (the side the other chickens aren't on) for the night and left her there today, but she got back with the others (the latch is flimsy) and they picked at it, and now it's bleeding again. She's free ranging right now (the other chickens are really jealous ) because my mom also said she read eating greens and not so much layer food will help her.
So, has anyone treated prolapse successfully before? Could someone please walk me through it? I'm kind of scared; I've had a few chickens die despite my efforts to save them. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like you have been doing your research on a prolapsed vent. Honey or hemorrhoid cream are good to help reduce swelling. Prolapses can occur by themselves or at the same time as eggbinding. Check inside her vent with a finger an inch or so (wear a disposable glove) for a stuck egg. Vent pecking can damage the vent, and the others can actually pull the large intestines out. Not all chickens survive a prolapse. Look for any black tissue, and try to scrub it off to get it to bleed during the daily soaks. Keep the prolapse moist with oil or honey, since drying out of the red tissue can cause necrosis or death of the tissue. If she lays eggs, then keep her in a dark cage for 16 hours overnight to get her to stop laying within a few days.

 

[DuckGirl77]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like you have been doing your research on a prolapsed vent. Honey or hemorrhoid cream are good to help reduce swelling. Prolapses can occur by themselves or at the same time as eggbinding. Check inside her vent with a finger an inch or so (wear a disposable glove) for a stuck egg. Vent pecking can damage the vent, and the others can actually pull the large intestines out. Not all chickens survive a prolapse. Look for any black tissue, and try to scrub it off to get it to bleed during the daily soaks. Keep the prolapse moist with oil or honey, since drying out of the red tissue can cause necrosis or death of the tissue. If she lays eggs, then keep her in a dark cage for 16 hours overnight to get her to stop laying within a few days.

Thanks so much! I was pretty worried, but I'm glad I'm doing what I was supposed to.
Why am I supposed to make it bleed? Does that mean all the bad stuff is coming off?
Thanks again

I'll let you know how the hemorrhoidal ointment works.

 

[DuckGirl77]

OK, so I put on the ointment and pushed it back in. It stayed for a few minutes, but when she went to the bathroom it came back out. It's kind of late now, so I guess I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe more ointment and it will work?

 

[DuckGirl77]

Hi again. I soaked her in the bath again tonight and pushed the prolapse back in. I put witch hazel on it this time. The same thing happened as last time, but it seemed smaller when it came out, and I pushed it back in. Does a prolapse get smaller if you just keep pushing it back in?
Also, can she go back with her friends in the morning if it will stay in the whole night? She really wants to be with them. She is high in the pecking order, and my rooster is pretty easy on his hens, so can she go back soon? She finds a way back in every time I try to separate her, and I'm tired of trying to keep her in. Oh no - I suddenly realized that I'm being outsmarted by a chicken!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

It is pretty common for the prolapse to come back out at first, especially when passing droppings or laying an egg. When pushing it back in, hold it there for several minutes while you are holding her. Yes any blood when debriding dead tissue is a sign that you are getting down to healthy tissue. This does not need to be done unless you are seeing black or necrotic skin, though. Keep us posted on her progress.

 

[DuckGirl77]

It came back out this morning. I was just wondering how I'm going to prevent this from happening to another hen. I read somewhere that prolapse might happen to chickens who have just started to lay or are fat. Pepper is two years old, so she has obviously not just started to lay. (If she has, she's got a lot to catch up on!) I feed the chickens a some (as in one-three handfuls) oats, scratch, or both every day. Do you think she is fat? How can I tell if she is? It's hard to tell with all those feathers! If she isn't, what could have caused this? Could this also happen to hens who lay a lot of eggs?
Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Vent prolapse can be due to several causes, such as low calcium levels, egg binding, constipation, damage to the vent from large eggs, and sometimes just a relaxed vent musculature. I have only seen it once in 5 years and dozens of hens. Here is some detailed reading for you:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic.html
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/Prolapse.htm

 

[DuckGirl77]

Wow thanks for the links! I suppose that the hemorrhoidal ointment was not a good idea? The first article says yes but the second says no: I'll be safe not use it.

She laid an egg today and it was not very big. It was the same size as all the other chicken's eggs. I read somewhere that if they lay eggs, you should feed them less chicken food. Is it OK to just offer them layer pellets free choice and just feed other things in addition? I am also going to go to the feed store tomorrow and get some electrolytes for her. I think all they have for vitamins and electrolytes is Sav-a-Chic, but it's better than nothing.

I just read the thread called "Witch Hazel for Prolapse?" After reading that, I'm wondering if I should stick with the honey and forget witch hazel. I put on honey tonight and put it back in. It has been 10 min., and so far it's staying. I wish I could take her to the vet, but the only vet I can find around here would charge a mere $600-$700. Home treatment sounds good to me right now!

 

[Eggcessive]

The honey will help to reduce swelling by osmotic pressure, but many have used hemorrhoid cream without problems. It works with medication that constricts blood vessels to reduce swelling. Reducing the amount of feed or the amount of protein can help in stopping laying, but it can take a few days. Also it is good to keep in a dark cage or room for 16 hours every night to stop laying--that should reduce the hours she can eat, so that may be the only thing that is needed to stop laying.