[Bionic]

I have had a closer look this morning at my hen with the mucky bum and can see that some of her insides are poking outside.  I didn't get a picture but does this sound like a prolapse?

The book says that a prolapse is usually caused by the passing of over-large eggs or a hen that has been a faithful layer for many years.  Doris is neither of these as she is POL and hasn't yet laid.

It says to wash the innards in warm water and gently place them back inside, take her off layers pellets and just give her a diet of scraps for a week or two.  What scraps should she have?

Any advice to allieviate her suffering (and mine) would be grateful
thanks
Sally

[kegs]

You could try adding a little sea salt to the warm water when you bath her and try to gently ease the prolapse back in.  Maybe use some gel to help it slip back.  I know someone tried putting sugar on the prolapse which shrank it but I haven't tried this myself (also an over the counter hemorrhoid cream!).  POL hens can have this problem so it might be a good idea to separate her for a while if you can (ours did and we'd only had her a week, we didn't have a clue what was happening, the other hens attacked her and we had to dispatch her - a huge learning curve!).  The idea of cutting back on her feed is so she doesn't lay which may force the prolapse to come out again - hopefully someone else will advise on what would be best to feed her.  Good luck.

[in the hills]

Bionic, never had this problem, last post sounds right to me.

Are you definite that it is her insides?          I thought one of mine looked as though she had a prolapse. It was a few weeks ago now. She had a really dirty, runny looking bum, hunched up and something looking like a prolapse. Hubbie caught her for a good look and I must admit was ready to dispatch. In fact, it was a broken egg ....... half in and half out. A real mess and lots of loose motion. Manually removed what he could of the egg and cleaned her up with salt water. Recovered.

[Bionic]

In the hills, to be honest I have never looked up a chickens backside before so I'm not sure if its a prolapse or not.  OH is out until later but when he gets back it sounds as if we need a good poke around (gently of course) to see if we can work out the problem.

What you are describing with lots of loose motion sounds familiar though. Lets hope its the broken egg scenario as it sounds easier for her to recover from.  She is my favourite so I want to do what I can for her.

thanks
Sally

[suziequeue]

Pic would be really helpful.

[Bionic]

I will see what I can do but she is a bit camera shy.

[chrismahon]

Our Annie Black Rock had a prolapse Bionic. I pushed it back into place with my finger and rushed her to the vets. She lubricated her finger and made sure it was all back in place properly (no creases) and said if it comes out again push it back in and keep doing that, hoefully she will be OK. She pood when she got home and it popped out so I pushed it back. Never re-occurred. It didn't look anything like an egg, just an inverted vent -insides outside!

[in the hills]

Bionic ..... fingers crossed for Doris.

Google images of chicken prolapse to give you more idea what you are looking for.

If it is a prolapse my chicken book suggests you use lukewarm, previously boiled water to clean before pushing back in. Says to treat quickly and isolate bird. Trouble seems to be that they often pop back out.

Hoping its egg.

Just seen next post.
Yes, Chrismahon is right. When Ive looked at images the prolapse is red and flesh like. You should be able to tell quite easily, I think.

[Bionic]

Chris, ITL,
Yes, just googled the prolapse pics and it definitely looks like that.  Mine is a Black Rock too, perhaps they are prone to it.

She is already isolated and I have taken away the layers pellets and corn, just given her some scraps. I can't catch her on my own so the medical bit will need to wait until later on when OH gets back.

I've just been to see her and although she doesn't like being shut in on her own she seems to be fairly ok.

Thanks for all the advice

Sally

[suziequeue]

Also a video or two

Prolapse on Vimeo

http://youtu.be/9ClbRGLVit4

BLimey - what you can find on the net these days

[Pedwardine]

I've had a black rock fully recover from a prolapse with using haemmorhoid (prob spelt utterly wrong) cream. Other's I've lost as it has progressed too far and/or her coop mates have pecked at it. Got to keep everything really clean which can be tricky with a chicken. May be worth trimming back her bum feathers (though be careful re blood supply to them) to enable more thorough attention.
I wish you lots of luck and a full and speedy recovery for Doris.

[Bionic]

Thankyou, you have all been so helpful.  The videos that Suziequeue posted are amazing too.

Pedwardine, did yours go on to have eggs afterwards?

I have only had them 3 weeks so not sure I want a lifetime of pushing her bits back in if she isn't going to be productive.  It shounds harsh I know but I bought them as layers and not pets.

thanks
Sally

[Pedwardine]

She did have eggs afterwards but had a wee break from laying before she got back into the swing of things again. She was never as productive as her compadres though.

[Bionic]

Doris has never laid yet but where there is a chance I will try to save her.  However, if she is looking too uncomfortable I will do the deed.  That will be something in itself as I have never had to do anything like that before.

thanks

[chrismahon]

Annie laid continually afterwards. Another egg next day without a problem Bionic. 18 months later (she was only 24 weeks or so when she prolapsed) her and one of her sisters shed their ovaducts, so never laid again. We kept her for over a year after that. Her sisters all developed abdominal infections in a short space of time and had to be PTS. Annie kept going, quite happy for the first time in her life as she used to be bottom of the pecking order, shed her feathers during a moult and they didn't grow back until her sisters had gone. We had to make a wooly jumper for her over Winter! She always came over to me and liked being picked up and stroked under the chin. but then she developed the same type of infection and had to be PTS as well.

Bit puzzled as to why Doris got a prolapse in the first place Doris. If she hasn't laid it wasn't a egg that forced the prolapse. In Annie's case she tried to lay a huge double yolker. It collapsed on the way out and pinched the inside of her vent pulling it out with the egg. I had to untangle the egg from her vent and fight off the other Black Rocks who were tyrying to eat it!