Unknown Type of abscess?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do you think this is a prolapse vent? Is this what happens? I haven't had this happen before with any of our other chickens so I'm not familiar. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow and am hoping they can diagnose what it is for sure before I begin any type of treatment. I am just giving her epsom salt/herbal baths every day and applying iodine for the time being to keep it clean. She has an appetite and eats and drinks fine but she seems uncomfortable when standing. She doesn't flinch or squawk when I clean the area so I don't think it's painful to her but I don't know.

I can't tell just by the photos. I had a hen prolapse and the tissue was damaged so this looks similar to that to me, but again I can't see everything from photos. The vet is your best option. @Eggcessive gave excellent advice to follow until the vet can diagnose your hen. Hopefully it's something fixable.

 

[IcarusII]

I think that she was probably vent pecked by the other chickens, possibly because she might have had a prolapse. Her abdominal contents, possibly intestines, look to be exposed. Hopefully, the abdominal wall is still intact. Either way, her vent or cloaca was damaged, and there is some infection. I would give her one or two shallow soaks each day in warm water. You could add a little salt to make saline or use some Hibiclens or betadine in the water to help fight infection. Epsom salts also works. When she is drying, apply a little plain Triple Antibiotic Ointment. This may take some time to heal, but try to keep it clean. She may die from infection if the abdominal wall is pierced, or she could herniate. She needs to be kept away from flies, since maggots would kill her. I hate to separate chickens since it is hard to get them back into the flock later. But she needs to be separated while she is healing. You could let her visit the flock each day with supervision, just so they remember her. I hope that she can survive this. Let us know how she gets along.

Thank you for your suggestions. It just seemed to happen so fast. She's our biggest chicken and never gets pecked at as she's at the top of the pecking order but they could've done it the day it happened and I wouldn't have known. I do not see any blood in the area so it hasn't appeared to have had any bleeding which I can only assume is a good sign. I do hope its not her intestinal track. It's just awful I don't want her to suffer from this again. Now that I know this I am keeping an eye on the rest of the flock and will check their vents weekly. She does lay the biggest eggs so I don't know if that has something to do with it. She's never shown any health issues so it came by surprise. I will do another epsom salt soak today. I dont have Hibiclens or Betadine but I do have Iodine. I will try the antibitoic ointment also.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes vent pecking can be caused by overcrowding or boredom, but a lack of protein can also be a possible cause. A prolapse would attract pecking because of the red tissue exposed. Hopefully, she will survive with your good treatment.

 

[IcarusII]

Is this mass below the vent?

I did a more thorough investigation yesterday because the area was a lot cleaner and I could see it better and the mass is below the vent not on it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I did a more thorough investigation yesterday because the area was a lot cleaner and I could see it better and the mass is below the vent not on it.

When you can, get some more photos.

I thought it was below the vent. Can you tell if the abdominal wall was breached?

 

[IcarusII]

Hi all,

I'm delayed in updated but have been so busy. I went to the vet last week and they told me it was her intestines that were protruding out and that she had an infection. She must've had he infection and it got cut open or it was cut and the infection grew from there but I'm sure the day I found it was the day her intestines came out because of how fresh looking it was. This is not part of the vent but on the stomach area below it. There was a black area around the skin they said was keeping the rest of her organs from falling out. They did not want to attempt to push it back in since the tissue had dried. The vet said she has a 50/50 chance of survival and the best hope is that the skin will start to grow around the intestines once it's healed.

I have her on antibiotics and applying an antibiotic cream (normally we treat our chickens naturally but since her condition was so bad I wanted something that works fast). She is still isolated in a big crate to minimize her activity levels. She does not appear to be in any pain and she still has an appetite and drinks. Her energy levels are good.. it's really hard to tell how bad her condition is based on her attitude because she acts like a healthy chicken. Her poop looks healthy and I'm continuing to give her epsom salt baths but just every other day or when I have the time.

As of today the area doesn't look worse and the skin looks better like the infection is gone but the intestines just look a bit dry and dark I think from being exposed for so long. The vet told me that if she starts getting worse we need to put her down but she doesn't seem to be getting worse however I'm worried about how long she can go with her intestines in that condition. I'm not sure what to do because I feel keeping her in a crate for much longer can't be good for her either and I do let her out in the grass (away from our other chickens) once in a while.

I guess I will just have to wait it out longer to better see how she does. If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it. I feel pushing the intestines in at this point wouldn't be good and also I was advised not to in order to avoid risking her other organs falling out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad you were able to see the vet and get her on some antibiotics.

I would go by the advice the vet gave you and push on the intestines. Only time will tell how well all that heals up.
Maggots/Flystrike can do the damage that you see. Not sure if that's what happened or not.

Being in a crate can be boring for them, that's for sure. You'll have to be the judge of how well it's healed up in order to let her out more. You may want to consider a small fenced area for her near the flock so she can be outside on nice days, but you will want to make sure it's closed enough so she's not getting a lot of dirt in it. The first thing a hen usually does after they have been caged is try to take a dust bath. Oh boy, that can make a mess in a wound.