vent prolapse in young roo

[1Chick Magnet]

I have a 10 week old japanese bantam roo that has a prolapsed vent. it is very red at night and almost normal color in the morning. wondering what to do for treatment. can I use preperation H? does it get better? when the redness is gone it still looks a little bit swollen. he is eating and acting normal. would hate to lose him if he can be saved. started feeding plain yogurt this morning. should he be isolated and if so for how long. is this a genetic weakness ?

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Our rosecomb bantam, about the size of a crow, had a prolapse vent. I ran her red prolapse parts under running warm water and returned it. I am an RN and I remember thinking "hmm, this is not so different from returning people parts", but I was VERY careful as people parts can be perforated and I figured the tiny little chicken could be perforated/injured very easily too.

We called our vet, he said its no big problem, just like people with hemorrhoids, to use preparation H to reduce the swelling and gel lubricant (ie:KY jelly) when returning the prolapse.

The chicken books say its also known as "blowout" and "pickout", and to keep it clean and don't let the other chickens near it, they wil pick it and the prolapsed chicken can bleed to death.

I think its worth doing a screen for ova/parasites to check for worms. Prolapsed rectums are commonly associated with worm infestations in mammals(and people), so checking the chicken's poop for O&P is a good idea.

Our little chicken is fine, but we no longer let little kids pick her up to squeeze/hug her. Lays an egg every day and seems in great health. Good luck to your Roo!

 

[1Chick Magnet]

thanks for the advice. maybe I should put some DE in the food and worm him just in case. found him a couple times with butt in the water dish. maybe it felt good.

 

[threehorses]

Hi there. Good move on the yogurt. I agree with 6chickens's advice on considering testing for worm ova ("fecal egg count" is what you ask for if you decide to do it - make sure their staff understands you don't want a regular fecal for adult worms).

Sometimes this is a bacterial imbalance (yogurt helps), sometimes it's caused by diarrhea (are you seeing any?), or parasites (10 weeks - he could have some).

I would definitely clean and disinfect the waterer. Yes, it probably felt good. Cleaning the area with cool water (rather than warm) is recommended after you get the droppings off because the cool cools the tissues that are inflammed there. The preparation H will constrict the blood flow there and cause the area to shrink back into its normal spot.

But treating the INSIDE cause is the best thing to do - once we figure out what it is.

What is he eating, by the way? Is he free range? With other birds?

You can isolate him until the vent looks less "peckable" at least.

 

[1Chick Magnet]

Quote:
my little guy is not free range. he is living on pine shavings. he is with 10 other chicks the same age. 2 others are japanese and the rest are silkies. they are still on medicated chick starter. last night I took some adult mash and some terramycin crumbles and mixed with yogurt and warm water and fed to everyone. I also have been giving one silce of whole grain bread a day for about a week.
I cleaned the area with water and used prep h last night. he seems to be pretty good today. from what I can see, he pushes the vent out then it slides back in. it looked normal for example then he strutted and did the male dance then it was red again.
do not think there is any diarrhea. what causes diarrhea in an otherwise healthy bird? could that be a sign of worms?

 

[threehorses]

Please do not give terramycin to them - it will kill what good bacteria he has and I guarantee it will make this worse in a hurry if you continue. Terramycin has nothing at all to do with the type of bacteria that would cause his prolapse; it will only cause big problems. Incidentally you can never ever use terramycin and yogurt together. They cancel one another out.

I'd also not feed adult mash. He's not an adult. That will only stress his digestive tract and cause him to be nutritionally deficient. He should be eating grower at this point, or starter/grower. Given the two, I'd choose starter over adult mash.

Just stick with the yogurt to replace the bacteria, and then starter crumbles (if not grower) and no antibiotics please.

 

[1Chick Magnet]

Quote:
thankyou for the info aout the terramycin and the mash. I was doing that on the advice from a tractor supply employee.
I have starter and grower on hand.
I tried the prep h 2 times and there has been no more redness for the last 24 hours. the area still seems a little swollen but greatly improved.
how do you feel about pro biotics? would that be better than yogurt?

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Since I see threehorses is offline, and I can handle this one, I will answer. Probiotics and yogurt serve the same purpose. Actually, probiotics are better, as chickens do not digest milk well, so probiotics bypass this problem. So, by all means, give probiotics instead.

Recommending yogurt in small quantities is an economic thing. It is readily available, and inexpensive, and a tsp or two of the milk in it will do no real harm, while this same tsp or two will still give them the needed gut flora.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

How odd is it to have a rooster with a prolapse? I thought only laying hens got that. And considering the enormity of their almost daily task of laying eggs, it's amazing that it doesn't happen more frequently.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Not odd at all for babies to have it. When they get pasty vent, or diarrhea, they feel like they still have to "go" so they keep pushing although there's not much there - probably just the remains of the abnormally runny droppings. And that's how it comes about.

And thanks, ddawn! As for probiotics, I really like Probios powder to have around for a chicken flock. Only I don't use in the water - I use it on the feed or mixed in a damp mash.