Sudden Prolapse Death

[FloppyComb]

I went out to lock my girls up yesterday and found my 1.5 year old hen dead in one of their dog houses with her intestines full out. I checked her entire body and there were zero signs of trauma and the rest of the girls are unharmed. It looks like the intestines just fell out of her vent. She was a prairie bluebell, I don’t know much about the breed but I don’t think they are a production breed. None of the other chickens bothered her body, she was top of the pecking order. I don’t know when it happened, it was raining all day, so they didn’t get free range time and she laid her morning egg.

I am just curious if anyone has had this happen before? I have been raising chickens for 13 years and I have never seen this but I have heard of prolapse. I am just at a total loss because it seems so sudden and bizarre to be honest.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you lost your hen. I have seen where a lot of people have posted about vent prolapses, and those are very common. Most just protrude the outside of the vent. Sometimes a chicken or a predator will peck at and pull out the intestines. Sometimes the intestines will continue to come out when the hen strains. Straining happens when they are trying to lay an egg or are constipated, or just when passing droppings. Sometimes, it is due to a calcium deficiency, and that can help to return the prolapse back inside.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately, prolapse issues can develop quite suddenly due to any of the reasons that Eggcessive listed above. Sometimes, they can develop a prolapse due to something going wrong internally (an infection or cancer creating too much internal pressure, for example). I had that happen with one of my hens, though she never prolapsed as far as your hen did. Regardless of why it happened, that is always awful to find.

 

[FloppyComb]

Sorry that you lost your hen. I have seen where a lot of people have posted about vent prolapses, and those are very common. Most just protrude the outside of the vent. Sometimes a chicken or a predator will peck at and pull out the intestines. Sometimes the intestines will continue to come out when the hen strains. Straining happens when they are trying to lay an egg or are constipated, or just when passing droppings. Sometimes, it is due to a calcium deficiency, and that can help to return the prolapse back inside.

Thank you for you reply! This particular hen acted like the rooster of the coop and hated me, so I was never able to get close to her. I am thinking maybe it started small and I didn’t notice it and then like you said she strained and it just got way worse. I did check the intestines and I didn’t see any masses or peck marks, so I am thinking it just happened on its own. Just another sad reality of chicken keeping RIP Stella Blue

 

[FloppyComb]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately, prolapse issues can develop quite suddenly due to any of the reasons that Eggcessive listed above. Sometimes, they can develop a prolapse due to something going wrong internally (an infection or cancer creating too much internal pressure, for example). I had that happen with one of my hens, though she never prolapsed as far as your hen did. Regardless of why it happened, that is always awful to find.

Thank you for your reply. It is just awful. I have found many dead chickens in my years but this one truly stunned me. I just stared at her for minutes before my brain could register what I was seeing. She was the most ornery hen I’ve ever owned but I’ll miss her for sure.

 

[smdcleland]

I'm so sorry. I just had the same thing happen. I was at a loss for words. It was heartbreaking. It was my first loss.