Vent prolapse in 2 yr old hen.....Urgent

[azygous]

In a protracted crisis, the hen may become weak, dehydrated, and malnourished. You may notice her eyes becoming droopy. Her head may droop against her chest. She may not be able to stand. If you notice any of these symptoms, you may need to tube feed fluids and nourishment. The procedure is very simple, and once you do it, you will find it very easy and efficient. And quick.

It would be a good idea to get a feeding kit for a small animal from your nearest vet. Cost is just a few dollars. You can also order one from Amazon. I urge everyone to get one of these for their chicken supplies to save time in an emergency. We can then instruct you how to get started. Sometimes tube feeding can pull a chicken back from the brink and help close the book on the health crisis.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Please, can you post photos of the prolapse so we can see how much tissue is exposed?
Clear well-lit photos from a few different angles would good.

Yes, it's very possible she has another egg on the way. Just because tissue is prolapsed it doesn't mean she will stop laying eggs, the production cycle continues.

You are giving the Extra Calcium correct? Pop the tablet right into the beak and let her swallow. Do the best you can to encourage her to drink and stay hydrated.

Oh yeah sorry I meant to take photos and got distracted....

 

[talkinboutchickens]

In a protracted crisis, the hen may become weak, dehydrated, and malnourished. You may notice her eyes becoming droopy. Her head may droop against her chest. She may not be able to stand. If you notice any of these symptoms, you may need to tube feed fluids and nourishment. The procedure is very simple, and once you do it, you will find it very easy and efficient. And quick.

It would be a good idea to get a feeding kit for a small animal from your nearest vet. Cost is just a few dollars. You can also order one from Amazon. I urge everyone to get one of these for their chicken supplies to save time in an emergency. We can then instruct you how to get started. Sometimes tube feeding can pull a chicken back from the brink and help close the book on the health crisis.

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with doing a tube feeding cuz idk how...I will probably just take her to the vet at this point

 

[talkinboutchickens]

You are giving the Extra Calcium correct? Pop the tablet right into the beak and let her swallow. Do the best you can to encourage her to drink and stay hydrated.

I'm giving pills meant for humans. It's called "calcium citrate + vitamin D3." From Meijer.
Here's her straining earlier:

And this is her vent

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I'm giving pills meant for humans. It's called "calcium citrate + vitamin D3." From Meijer.
Here's her straining earlier:
View attachment 3924656

And this is her vent
View attachment 3924657

Forgot to add that the pills are huge so that's why I'm not comfortable making her swallow them.
This is the pill compared to a pop can.

 

[azygous]

Although you probably are not going to need to tube feed your patient, I want to show you how to do it now so that you won't spend a single second fearing doing it. This is for others who are following your thread, as well.

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.

 

[ChicNmom]

Forgot to add that the pills are huge so that's why I'm not comfortable making her swallow them.
This is the pill compared to a pop can.
View attachment 3924659

She will be able to swallow that. Just make sure you position it so the narrow end is going in first. Just as if you were going to swallow it. If you are worried you could get it wet or put a tiny bit of coconut oil on it so it will slide down better.


Also, that prolapse is quite large. Since you are unsure and a little nervous about working with it then maybe a vet visit would be a good idea if you have an avian vet available.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm giving pills meant for humans. It's called "calcium citrate + vitamin D3." From Meijer.
Here's her straining earlier:
View attachment 3924656

And this is her vent
View attachment 3924657

Forgot to add that the pills are huge so that's why I'm not comfortable making her swallow them.
This is the pill compared to a pop can.
View attachment 3924659

Thank you for the photos.
I agree, if vet care is an option, it would be a good idea to have her seen.

The prolapse is large, the color of tissue looks good to me, so you've been doing good taking care of her and keeping ointment/oil on the exposed tissue. Keep that up and see if the vet can fit her in.

For the Calcium, if you are very uncomfortable to give her the whole tablet, then cut it in half, they break up fairly easy. Put one piece in the beak, let her swallow, then give the other piece.

If you give her the Calcium directly, you don't have to worry about her consuming all that you have sprinkled to the powder on to, you'll know she's gotten what she needs each day.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Although you probably are not going to need to tube feed your patient, I want to show you how to do it now so that you won't spend a single second fearing doing it. This is for others who are following your thread, as well.

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.
View attachment 3924744

Very cool..Thanks for sharing!
During what circumstances/illnesses will I have to do tube-feeding?
P.S...Got some fluids into my girl...I held down one part of her beak, someone else grabbed the other part and I squirted some electrolyte water mixed with a tiny bit of calcium powder into her beak via a syringe.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

@Wyorp Rock @ChicNmom @azygous

took her to the vet on Friday, they put a few stitches in her vent to hold it in, but she can still poop. Oh yeah, and we took her outside for A FEW HOURS and the next day she had flystrike... maggots galore! anyways I'm gonna write an article on that. She is feeling awesome and sassy again.