[SallyintNorth]

We've a hen with a prolapse.  Read up on here and watched the video linked from an earlier thread on the topic, took all the advice - she's on her own, in a darkened house, on wheat only - and this morning replaced the prolapse after washing and covering with honey.  Had to do it again later, and now she's popped it out again.

She'd managed to lay an egg this morning, through the prolapse, bless her, but hopefully she'll not be making another now she's on reduced rations and in dim light.

Any suggestions, anyone?  Should we persevere or are we kidding ourselves?

[Eve]

Why honey? There are bees and wasps around... Get some Preparation H or similar from a supermarket tomorrow, it shrinks the prolapse so it stays in better. I've treated several very successfully with Prep H. If you purchase it from a pharmacy, don't tell them it's for an animal 
Good luck 

[SallyintNorth]

Honey because the sugar shrinks the swelling and honey has natural antiseptic properties.

Reading up, several blogs said not to use Preparartion H or Anusol, as they are designed to shrink engorged blood vessels, and this isn't an engorged blood vessel.  However, you are not the only one saying you've had success using these meds, so it's confusing! 

We haven't been able to get it cleaned up thoroughly - some matter has not come off despite soaking, and pulling at it would tear the already fragile skin.  She has one tear already.  We're planning to spend more time with the hen's bum in warm soapy water today, hoping to get this last few bits of gunge to soften up and come off.

Some blogs talk about spending weeks reinserting a prolapse several times a day...  Lisa doesn't mind if the hen doesn't come back into lay, but we don't want to be causing her unnecessary distress or discomfort, of course.  So I was wondering what folks on here had to say about how likely she is to make a recovery, given that it keeps coming out again.  (I put it back in again last night, but it was out again as soon as she was back in her house.)

[Louise Gaunt]

In my relatively limited experience as a hen keeper, if a prolapse keeps coming out, it is unlikely to stay put, and every time you manipulate the already fragile tissue, no matter how carefully you clean the tissues, there is an increasing risk of either necrosis of the mucosa or the introduction of infection. We usually cull early after prolapse rather than try to get it to stay back in.

[Womble]

Give it a go Sally, by all means. I know what I would do though, and I wouldn't feel guilty about it.

[Eve]

For honey to have more than just marginal healing properties you need medical grade honey, though, like Manuka 40+. Folks who put honey in their tea for their health don't realise that they've killed the medicinal benefits in the hot water. Obviously your hen's bum isn't boiling hot    but ordinary honey won't do that much and the human haemorrhoid medication is designed to shrink it and be an antispetic, and I've had great success with it on 3 birds: all quail of the same breed, one needed it putting it twice or three times in a a week or so when she started laying but she still laid very well afterwards and never had a prolapse again. 
But I'm not a vet   



I used medical grade honey on a hen's open shoulder wound once, Activon, and it did work very well but not better than the manufactured cream and needed applying more often - and it was in winter, I wouldn't risk it in bug season.


Have you covered the tear with purple spray?
Like Womble I would keep on trying as well, if it goes on for weeks then yes, have her put to sleep, but it's not necessarily a long term problem.


Hope it goes well 

[chrismahon]

Manuka honey, separation and a diet of only wheat (and water) to stop her laying- best chance of curing her.

[SallyintNorth]

Give it a go Sally, by all means. I know what I would do though, and I wouldn't feel guilty about it.

Me too, Womble - but it's a community here and I'm not the only person involved.  I'm very happy to respect others' wishes, but only if it's not unfair to the hen.

[SallyintNorth]

I didn't realise there wa such a difference between ordinary and manuka honey.  We do have some manuka essential oil, so could try that.

And yes, she'll get some spray on the tear.

Thanks folks, very grateful for all the input.  And much encouraged that you've had birds lay successfully afterwards too, Eve.

[SallyintNorth]

Manuka honey, separation and a diet of only wheat (and water) to stop her laying- best chance of curing her.

Done the last three, have been using ordinary honey though.  Will sort out some manuka.

[Eve]

It's the number on the label next to the word Manuka that counts, so I had Manuka 40 or 40+ (can't quite remember), Manuka 15 is wasting your money. Wasps will sting her for any grade honey, though.


Good luck! 

[Charlie1234]

We used to keep 1000`s of hens due to our family business and once a hen had a prolapse it was quickly culled as it will always be an issue no matter what you spend to put on/around it.

[Eve]

We used to keep 1000`s of hens due to our family business and once a hen had a prolapse it was quickly culled as it will always be an issue no matter what you spend to put on/around it.

That's the typical large scale commercial attitude.

Apart from that, it's complete nonsense that a prolapsed hen will always have the same problem regardless what you do for her.

[Marches Farmer]

But in a commercial situation it may not be practical to isolate just one hen and, hens being hens, the others will quickly spot it's a new and interesting thing to peck at, with dire consequences for the hen.

[Eve]

But in a commercial situation it may not be practical to isolate just one hen and, hens being hens, the others will quickly spot it's a new and interesting thing to peck at, with dire consequences for the hen.

Exactly. It's not at all the case that a prolapse will always return, only that in commercial settings the money / time isn't spent on individual animals. But small scale keepers, who this forum is for, are in a different position and therefore can look after ill hens or those with a prolapse.
And I'm very happy to be a small scale keeper, prolapses and all