Shouting out again for Lacey!

[Dazzalad]

Please please please
Looking for some more help as I can't contact a vet until Monday and I really can't find anything online that matches all her symptoms. She's now gone the other way, the diharrea has stopped and now she doesn't seem to be able to poop a lot. She strains hard and the area above her vent really pushes outwards as she tries, her beak will be open and gasping like she's having painful contractions. The 2nd pic is screenshot from a video, to show the area which pulsates outwards when she's straining. There's mucus, blood and only some runny poop that's coming out of her. Earlier she tried to sit down to nest (bedtime) and started trying to push again, just blood trickled out then eventually she lay down again. She's isolated at home atm, had 2 Epsom salt washes leaving the outcome in 2nd pic - almost like she has a plug of poo or something inside her vent?

 

[Mamatomany123]

Is she laying? Have you checked to see if shes eggbound?

 

[Dazzalad]

Is she laying? Have you checked to see if shes eggbound?

She hasn't layed no, but we have 7 chickens and I don't think they all lay so she could be one of them. We also don't know the age of the birds so she could have been at end of lay etc. Strangely when letting them out this morn, there was half an egg shell on the floor and it was the first morning I'd seen blood coming from her, but this could've been a coincidence. We bathed her twice today but mainly to get the poop, blood and mucus off - so her actual vent hasn't been soaking under the water yet as shed a large bird, we'll try that tomorrow. After coming out of the bath though she was straining and gasping. Do I just need to insert a gloved finger, through the poop? I'm just really worried about hurting her, but scared that if I wait for vet treatment she'll get a lot worse.

 

[ChicNmom]

I went and found your previous thread. I would try the gloved, lubed finger exam to see if there is hard broken shell inside her or if there is anything blocking her vent. I would try to get the dried poop off first. A squeeze bottle makes a decent bidet to sort of blast it off and soften it. You may need to gently pick at it and remove it in pieces. I wouldn't pull the poop plug out.

 

[Dazzalad]

I went and found your previous thread. I would try the gloved, lubed finger exam to see if there is hard broken shell inside her or if there is anything blocking her vent. I would try to get the dried poop off first. A squeeze bottle makes a decent bidet to sort of blast it off and soften it. You may need to gently pick at it and remove it in pieces. I wouldn't pull the poop plug out.

Thank you for your reply ! We're gunna try that tomorrow. What is best used for the lube? I've seen multiple opinions of people saying yes and no to both vaseline and olive oil.....? At the end of the bath I was picking away with my bare fingers, only way to get the clumps off! But I did stop at the poop plug incase it was attached to her flesh, so I'm glad you said that too. What happens if I can feel an egg and the baths don't help to pass it, and what happens if not? As you can tell I'm quite worried right now !!

 

[Dazzalad]

I was so focused on the fact she might have worms/be prolapsing that I stopped looking at eggbinding treatments...

 

[Mamatomany123]

Thank you for your reply ! We're gunna try that tomorrow. What is best used for the lube? I've seen multiple opinions of people saying yes and no to both vaseline and olive oil.....? At the end of the bath I was picking away with my bare fingers, only way to get the clumps off! But I did stop at the poop plug incase it was attached to her flesh, so I'm glad you said that too. What happens if I can feel an egg and the baths don't help to pass it, and what happens if not? As you can tell I'm quite worried right now !!

So she has a plug? Like pasty bhb button chicks? I would definitely soak her until you're able to get that off. For lube I would use coconut to oil. Just go slow. You dont have to go super deep. I would be worried about either egg bound or that an egg broke in her since you saw some shell. If you could get to it today I think that would be best. Waiting could be the meaning between life and death.

 

[Dazzalad]

I think so, as when she tries to poop the vent opens and there's poo there but just some mucusy liquid comes out but she carries on straining, and the large pink area above her vent pulses in and out. It's night here now so we're gunna have to try again in the morning. Thanks for alll your help!

 

[Dazzalad]

@Mamatomany123

 

[Mamatomany123]

I think so, as when she tries to poop the vent opens and there's poo there but just some mucusy liquid comes out but she carries on straining, and the large pink area above her vent pulses in and out. It's night here now so we're gunna have to try again in the morning. Thanks for alll your help!

Oh ok, so she doesnt have anything blocking the vent on the outside? That does sound like constipation. I would try soaking her in warm water and doing, as been mentioned above, picking it out slowly.