Pullet has prolapse

Diadado

In the Brooder
7 Years
Nov 28, 2012
91
8
33
Beacon Falls
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.
 
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.
 
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.



Thank you so much! After a long soak last night I got the egg off and the uterus back in but this morning it was out a little bit. About to give her anther bath and try to get it back in again.
 
I'll keep trying as long as she's not in distress. She's a Buff and my favorite and our friendliest. She's the closest to the camera in my profile pic (photo from May or June).
 
It may keep coming out as she poos or tries to lay an egg. Putting her in a dark cage with a cover might help to not lay. You don't have to bathe her each time, but just lubricate it and push back in. Honey really is supposed to help shrink the tissue, so it will stay in. If the prolapse stays out with her in the coop, the other chickens will peck it, perhaps killing her because they will peck anything red, so be cautious putting her back too soon. I think I have read where some vets will do sutures around the vent to prevent it from happening.
 
She is in the house in the dark and she has water with electrolytes (recommended) and I will get her some food when I do a last change of paper in her cage. I don't want to put anything in that could get sucked into her. I want to make sure there is no poop in it her I try to push it in in the morning so will do a quick soak to clean and then in.
 
Ok, this might sound weird, but try putting her in a warm sugar water bath. I know, I know weird, but whenever my chickens have prolapse I put them in sugar water and the prolapse seems to go right back in. You should try it. As for the egg, try gently pulling it (with gloves of course, and be VERY gentle when pulling). If it comes out, put her in the sugar water and keep her separate for a few days to make sure that it goes in. And a few times a day, put on some Vaseline and Preparation H. If GENTLY pulling on the egg doesn't work, then try taking her to the vet.

Hope I am of some help!
 

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