Vent prolapse

[Chelie97]

So I have a hen who is about 9 months she is a black sexlink. Recently she prolapsed her vent. If you tilt her it goes back in and stays in for the most part. I have isolated her a couple of times for like 48 hours but she still lays eggs. I put her in a crate in my garage and make sure there is no light but she want staop laying eggs for her prolapse to heal completely. Her prolapse is smaller then on the beginning and I have been putting preparation h on it but its been a little over two weeks and she is still having the same issue. Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[Eggcessive]

It can take 3-4 days in a dark room for 16 hours per day, letting her out for 8 hours a day to eat and roam around. Once they stop laying temporarily, they may not start again for 2 weeks or so. A vet can sometimes insert a suture into the vent to temporarily keep the prolapse inside. Do you have any pictures of her vent? Just keep the prolapsed tissue moist if it is outside.

 

[Chelie97]

No I don’t have any images and its back in right now but come tomorrow when she lays her egg it will be out again. I am just frustrated because she wont stop laying eggs. Thanks for advice I will keep her locked up for longer.

 

[Kiki]

No I don’t have any images and its back in right now but come tomorrow when she lays her egg it will be out again. I am just frustrated because she wont stop laying eggs. Thanks for advice I will keep her locked up for longer.

It is highly likely that she doesn't stop laying eggs and this never heals/goes away.

 

[Chelie97]

It is highly likely that she doesn't stop laying eggs and this never heals/goes away.

That just makes me so sad my chickens are my friends and my family is so attached to them.

 

[jonalisa]

That just makes me so sad my chickens are my friends and my family is so attached to them.

She is young. I wouldn't give up.
If you have the time to keep on top of it, well, that worked for me. Maybe I was lucky, but your hen is young so I think it is worth trying...

My Silver Gray Dorking is 4 yrs old and she didn't stop laying while I dealt with her prolapse.

I started with a soak in warm water and Epsom Salts to clean area, checked for shell, etc. Gently pat feather areas dry. With oil (vitamin E, mineral oil, etc) on my fingers, I put gentle downward pressure on the vent flap. If this prompted her to suck in the prolapse, great! (If it goes in, try holding it in gently for 10, 15, 20 min)- But if not: Spread the prolapse with honey and some sprinkled sugar. Put her in a covered crate with some towels for her to sit on and access to water. Don't feed her chicken feed - you don't want her to have enough nutrition to lay. I gave canned corn or chopped boiled egg with calcium citrate (or crushed tums). I kept her in a crate in a dark room 16 hrs a day so she would stop laying (she didn't). Every 2 hours or so I would check the prolapse, using a soft damp cloth to gently blot away any poop and then adding a fresh coating of honey or sugar. I tried to very gently apply downward pressure from the vent flap, downward - sometimes it felt she was sucking it in (in response to the pressure), and if it went in, I would hold it in as long as the hen allowed. This went on for several days. After a few days, the prolapse stayed in on its own, until she would lay and the prolapse would come out. However, after about the third day of this routine, she laid and the prolapse stayed in.

I think it's important to:
Keep the prolapse moist (I used vitamin E squeezed out of capsules)
Keep the prolapse clean (gentle, gentle blotting with a wet paper towel)
Apply gentle downward pressure above and downward over the vent flap. If she resists, don't insist.
If you have the time, check her every few hours, blot gently to clean, apply the vitamin E/oil, downward pressure, and hold it in if allowed. Before leaving, put apply honey/sugar.
In the morning I gave a quick warm soak to remove poop from feather areas. Towel and blow-dry and start with the Vitamin E.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Yes, it's a process. I work at home so I was lucky to be here. Your mileage may vary.

Good luck!

 

[Chelie97]

She is young. I wouldn't give up.
If you have the time to keep on top of it, well, that worked for me. Maybe I was lucky, but your hen is young so I think it is worth trying...

My Silver Gray Dorking is 4 yrs old and she didn't stop laying while I dealt with her prolapse.

I started with a soak in warm water and Epsom Salts to clean area, checked for shell, etc. Gently pat feather areas dry. With oil (vitamin E, mineral oil, etc) on my fingers, I put gentle downward pressure on the vent flap. If this prompted her to suck in the prolapse, great! (If it goes in, try holding it in gently for 10, 15, 20 min)- But if not: Spread the prolapse with honey and some sprinkled sugar. Put her in a covered crate with some towels for her to sit on and access to water. Don't feed her chicken feed - you don't want her to have enough nutrition to lay. I gave canned corn or chopped boiled egg with calcium citrate (or crushed tums). I kept her in a crate in a dark room 16 hrs a day so she would stop laying (she didn't). Every 2 hours or so I would check the prolapse, using a soft damp cloth to gently blot away any poop and then adding a fresh coating of honey or sugar. I tried to very gently apply downward pressure from the vent flap, downward - sometimes it felt she was sucking it in (in response to the pressure), and if it went in, I would hold it in as long as the hen allowed. This went on for several days. After a few days, the prolapse stayed in on its own, until she would lay and the prolapse would come out. However, after about the third day of this routine, she laid and the prolapse stayed in.

I think it's important to:
Keep the prolapse moist (I used vitamin E squeezed out of capsules)
Keep the prolapse clean (gentle, gentle blotting with a wet paper towel)
Apply gentle downward pressure above and downward over the vent flap. If she resists, don't insist.
If you have the time, check her every few hours, blot gently to clean, apply the vitamin E/oil, downward pressure, and hold it in if allowed. Before leaving, put apply honey/sugar.
In the morning I gave a quick warm soak to remove poop from feather areas. Towel and blow-dry and start with the Vitamin E.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Yes, it's a process. I work at home so I was lucky to be here. Your mileage may vary.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the support I did get her vent to stay in but it took a while. I think it came out because she laid a rather large egg. I kept her in a cage for 5 days she laid all but one of those days I gave her feed for the chicks that I have and yogurt. Also I used preparation H on her several times a day. It took a lot of work but no matter how many sad coos she gave me I didn’t let her out with her friends

 

[jonalisa]

Good job, Mama!

 

[Lorraine A]

That just makes me so sad my chickens are my friends and my family is so attached to them.

I am sorry, I went through the exact same ordeal.

 

[Chullicken]

I'm going through it now and she's my pet so it just makes things that much more emotional on my end. Managed to keep hers in but now I think she has an infection of some sort as her energy level is very wavering and for most of the day she seems uncomfortable. Every time I call the vet for potentially the 'E' word in regard to quality of life (Kills me inside..) She perks right up, chirps at me like usual and gets all bouncy, hour later she's back to being lethargic.