vent prolapse

[Wyorp Rock]

The top of the vent feels a bit hard when I touch it. When I press on it slightly it causes her to poop a bit, seems like a reflex.

As for her crop, it still feels somewhat golfball-like in the mornings, but strangely it seems to soften up and shrink after I give her a tsp of coconut oil. Very strange.

It's hard to say if there's a smell coming from it, as that poop/diarrhea is fairly smelly and it took over the bathroom.

Any suggestions as to what to offer up for the diarrhea? I wonder if it's partially stress-induced.

The lump is different for sure. I agree with @MissChick@dee continue to soak her and give her a clean up. Hopefully the lump will reduce in size.

I would work on the crop some more - it should not be golf ball sized in the mornings before she eats/drinks. Cut out all treats that need a lot of processing at this time (no scratch/sunflower seeds, no veggies, etc.). Offer her only wet feed. She can have some scrambled eggs for a treat.
The coconut oil is fine, but massage the crop several times a day.

 

[valegal74]

Thanks again for the advice... I've been giving it a good massage and it does seem to become less hard after she has a bit of the coconut oil. Her poops are still mostly runny, not sure if that's because she's mostly been drinking and not eating tons of feed. I did give her some scrambled egg this morning and she was happy to eat that. I'll make sure to avoid any treats, although I haven't been offering too much of that anyhow. Maybe I'll wet her food so that it seems more appealing.

I did give her another soak today but she HATES it. I think I only managed about 5-10 mins, but I suppose that's better than nothing. Sigh...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks again for the advice... I've been giving it a good massage and it does seem to become less hard after she has a bit of the coconut oil. Her poops are still mostly runny, not sure if that's because she's mostly been drinking and not eating tons of feed. I did give her some scrambled egg this morning and she was happy to eat that. I'll make sure to avoid any treats, although I haven't been offering too much of that anyhow. Maybe I'll wet her food so that it seems more appealing.

I did give her another soak today but she HATES it. I think I only managed about 5-10 mins, but I suppose that's better than nothing. Sigh...

Just keep trying

 

[valegal74]

So there's definitely been improvement, so I've been letting her hang out with the other ladies in the afternoons and letting her sleep with them overnight in the coop. Her poop seems to be back to normal, thankfully.

However, I see in the mornings she's not overly eager to eat, and I think she's still fairly weak as she seems a little unbalanced and closes her eyes a lot. So for now I've kept her in a crate in the shed with some heat. I've been giving her some scrambled eggs with a tsp of coconut oil in the mornings, which she will finish off. Any other suggestions on how to get her energy back? She'll eat some feed if the others are eating, but doesn't really touch it when she's on her own.

Also, it's supposed to be bitterly cold here over the weekend (average temp around -15C/5F). Would you suggest I keep her isolated with heat the whole weekend?

 

[MissChick@dee]

Give her protein. Tuna or cooked chicken meat. Even mealworms. Yogurt is good too. Do you have any updated pictures of her vent?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So there's definitely been improvement, so I've been letting her hang out with the other ladies in the afternoons and letting her sleep with them overnight in the coop. Her poop seems to be back to normal, thankfully.

However, I see in the mornings she's not overly eager to eat, and I think she's still fairly weak as she seems a little unbalanced and closes her eyes a lot. So for now I've kept her in a crate in the shed with some heat. I've been giving her some scrambled eggs with a tsp of coconut oil in the mornings, which she will finish off. Any other suggestions on how to get her energy back? She'll eat some feed if the others are eating, but doesn't really touch it when she's on her own.

Also, it's supposed to be bitterly cold here over the weekend (average temp around -15C/5F). Would you suggest I keep her isolated with heat the whole weekend?

Is her crop empty in the mornings now?

If she is not acclimated to the cold temperature like you describe, I would at least keep her in at night for sure (she's used to having some heat now).
Work on slowly re-acclimating her to the temperatures next week if the weather is going to be more agreeable - reduce the amount of heat she gets, let her spend some time outside with the others, etc.

Provide her with her normal feed along with the egg or extra protein. Poultry vitamins for a couple of days too.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I agree check her crop in the morning, sounds like it is possibly not emptying with her weakness and lack of appetite in the morning. So I would just rule that out first to be sure.
If she likes yogurt, you could try mixing a little of it with her normal feed, some of mine devour that!

 

[valegal74]

Yes, it still seems like her crop isn't empty in the mornings. What would be the best thing to do for that?

And yes, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and bring her back inside, even though it's not practical. I think it still might be too cold for her in the shed this weekend (and easier on our electricity bill!). She's not eaten much today and she seems particularly weak.

Update: brought her inside and I gave her crop a massage, then basically put a bowl of soaked mash in front of her, and she's been working away at that for the last half hour. So I guess we have our tenant back for the weekend!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, it still seems like her crop isn't empty in the mornings. What would be the best thing to do for that?

And yes, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and bring her back inside, even though it's not practical. I think it still might be too cold for her in the shed this weekend (and easier on our electricity bill!). She's not eaten much today and she seems particularly weak.

Update: brought her inside and I gave her crop a massage, then basically put a bowl of soaked mash in front of her, and she's been working away at that for the last half hour. So I guess we have our tenant back for the weekend!

If the crop is still not emptying completely by morning, this is part of the problem. She may have something else going on that's causing the crop malfunction, often there is.
I would continue to massage the crop and give her only wet feed.
The article linked below is very detailed in helping get a crop to clear, I recommend that you read it completely, good information.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Agree, that link Wyorp Rock gave you should be in everyones' chicken first aid kit!! It will guide you right through. Feel free to ask questions along the way!