Witch Hazel for Prolapse?

[Chickiee]

Hi All,
I noticed yesterday that one of my hens has what I believe to be a prolapsed vent. Her butt area is very dirty and the redness is swollen out about 1 cm. I washed her butt once during the day and once last night. She is separated from the flock and is currently camping in my first floor bathroom. She has been acting like her normal self and this morning I found her on the bathroom counter and a good sized egg on my bathroom floor (which is covered in old towels). She is eating, drinking, and having what appear to be normal bowel movements. I did see a couple drops of watery blood on the floor in a few spots... not quite red... mostly clear. In another thread, people were talking about putting witch hazel on chick prolapse vents. At this point I haven't put anything on the area. What else should I try? Go with the witch hazel? Holy gaucamole, my bathroom has become amazingly stinky since she moved in so I have some serious motivation (obviously besides saving her) to get her healthy and back in the coop asap.
Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Honey, sugar, Preparation H ointment, or witch hazel are all good for reducing swelling. Honey supposedly has natural antibiotic properties. You need to lubricate the vent first and try to push the prolapse back inside, then hold it for 10 minutes (just hold her in your lap on a towel.) The prolapse may come back out, but keep pushing it back inside several times a day. If you can cage her back inside the coop in a dog crate, she could still be part of the flock, but they wouldn't peck her vent. Covering her cage for 16 hours out of every 24 will help stop her from laying, to help it heal. Would it be possible to post a picture?

 

[Chickiee]

Thanks for the quick response! I washed her back end again. Still normal behavior. I took some pics for you. It's not pretty but...


Ok, this is the basic view. You can see the portion sticking out is red on the left side and greenish brown on the right. All pictures are post wash.



Close ups! Looking at the area from the left side, it is sticking out a bit... red and plump.



BUT, looking from the right side, the area is sticking out and plump, but it isn't red... more greenish brown. I did wash this area as best I could, but that plump thing that is greenish brown is actually her.

This is the best I could do taking pics without my phone falling in her bath water. What do you think? What does the discolored side mean? Is was like this yesterday too. Not red on both sides. I have more pics if you need them, but I think these show the area the best. I didn't put the witch hazel on yet as I thought maybe I need to get her cleaner, but I don't want to rub the area much as it might be tender. Is this the red side and greenish side both what I'm supposed to try to push back in and hold? Do I put the witch hazel on and then honey on and then push it in? OR, put the honey on, hold in for 10 minutes and THEN put the witch hazel on the outside only?
Thanks much!!

 

[Chickiee]

So I just checked on the hen again. I'm thinking some of the redness has retracted in... just a very little bit tho. There is also a bit more of that mustard color that you see in the pics. Otherwise, the same. I did try gently pushing the prolapsed area back in and holding it there. I'm not sure that really did anything. Her behavior is the same... looking at me wondering why she's in my bathroom. Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Is it possible that she developed prolapsed vent and got pecked, which then lead to an infection?

Unsure about the mustard-colored material... Could it be yolk?

I'm glad she's up and eating and drinking. That is SUPER important. Keep her quarantined until we can figure this out.

MrsB

 

[Suzie]

If she were mine I would slather her vent area with honey..which does have anti bacterial properties...turn out the light in your bathroom and see how she is after 12 hours...some prolapses do go back in without further intervention...her prolapse looks small compared to many I have seen here on BYC...so she stands a very good chance of a great recovery.

If the prolapse begins to become darker in colour you will need to get her to a Vet urgently as it will likely be becoming necrotic....

Prolapses can take quite some time to heal...take the advice given by Eggcessive...

Good luck to you and your chicken!

 

[Eggcessive]

I think the greenish brown tissue is fairly normal with a prolapse, but you need to try and scrub that off a little at a time, as you can see in these threads about prolapses:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/622494/infected-prolapsed-vent
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846626/prolapsed-vent
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rolapsed-vent-warning-pictures-are-graphic/10

 

[Chickiee]

Thank you for all the input! I have noticed that today she was dripping clear drops... not a lot, just a drip every 10 seconds for a couple minutes and then it seemed to stop. She is sleeping now, but in the morning I will wash her again and put honey all over the area. I did keep her without extra lighting today per your suggestions... just daylight, no nightlights, so she would not be laying eggs. I will give you all an update...

 

[Chickiee]

Update -There was an egg and 3 drops of blood on the floor when I walked in to check on her this morning. I cleaned her before I left for the office. I did a little more scrubbing based on the links you guys provided me to check out. There was less of the mustard color stuff on her back end. I did try removing (gently) some of the brownish greyish matter which I thought was her (but from the links, again, maybe it wasn't) HOWEVER it seems to be connected to her and if I pulled on it then she would definitely bleed. I tried to gently push the area back in, which sort of made her jump. She was much less comfortable with me cleaning her, but not enough to peck at me. I dried her and gooped some clover honey all over the entire area. I should be home in a couple hours and will check on her again...

 

[MrsBrooke]

Update -There was an egg and 3 drops of blood on the floor when I walked in to check on her this morning. I cleaned her before I left for the office. I did a little more scrubbing based on the links you guys provided me to check out. There was less of the mustard color stuff on her back end. I did try removing (gently) some of the brownish greyish matter which I thought was her (but from the links, again, maybe it wasn't) HOWEVER it seems to be connected to her and if I pulled on it then she would definitely bleed. I tried to gently push the area back in, which sort of made her jump. She was much less comfortable with me cleaning her, but not enough to peck at me. I dried her and gooped some clover honey all over the entire area. I should be home in a couple hours and will check on her again...

You're doing great.

MrsB