Just found a 5-1/2 month old pullet with an egg sticking out and it looks like it's still stuck to the uterus. What do I do!? These are our first chickens.
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I'm not sure what to do about the egg hanging out. I'd defninitely try a warm water bath to help her pass the egg. However, I'm not sure quite what to do. Is it possible that you could take her to a vet? I know that some people take their birds with a prolapse and hanging egg to a vet, and the vet can remove the egg.
Once the egg is out of the way, here's what you should do:
- Isolate her from the other birds. Birds will pick at red tissue and blood. You don't want the prolapse to get worse due to irritation.
- Keep the prolapse moist. Put some honey on the prolapse to help shrink the swelling. Witch Hazel also helps. Some people use Preparation H. However, when I had a bird with a prolapse, I used just honey and Witch Hazel.
- Continue giving her warm water baths (95 degrees) each day. This will help keep the prolapse clean and moist. It will also relax the hen's muscles so that the prolapse can be drawn back into the body.
- Stop the hen from laying any more. Keep her in the dark, and withhold feed for most of the day. Give food only at night. This will help her stop laying, and will prevent a lot of food from going to her system. Producing a lot of droppings irriatates the prolapse, and can coat it with a white substance.
- Give calcium. Calcium will strenghen the egg laying muscles and will help her heal. It will also help prevent further prolapses.
- About twice a day, gently push the prolapse back into the hens body and hold it there for a minute or two. This will help her retract the prolapse back in, and strengthen her muscles. Don't do this too often though, as it can irriate the prolapse.
Everything that I described is what I did when my chicken had a prolapse. She didn't have it as bad as yours, as she didn't have a egg hanging out. Hopefully, your bird will recover just like mine did!
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for a bird to fully recover from a prolapsed vent. My bird recovered within 3 days, but it may take a longer time or a shorter time. Some hens will have prolapsed vents again and again throughout their life, so some people advise to not keep hens that have prolapsed. However, it has been a long time since my hen prolapsed, and she has been just fine since then.
Hope this helps! Sorry I can't be more helpful.