My chicken is turning inside out! - butt emergency...

[BethChick78]

On letting the girls out this morning, I noticed one had something strange protruding from her butt. We bought her inside and cleaned her up a bit, but this was obviously causing her some distress. I have added a picture taken a few minutes ago to show the injury.

Some background : the are a cross laying breed, 1.5 years old. Have shown canabalistic tendencies before (much better now I have upped their protein intake. They part free range and are part cooped. This particular hen has been pecked at before and quarantined whilst her wound heals. You can see from the pictures the purple of the BluKote.

Can someone please help me figure out what is going on? It looks like her whole vent in inside out?

I've quarantined her and she is eating and drinking and isn't being nasty.

 

[KrazyChromatics]

looks like a prolapse ... u need to gently clean with warm water and gently put it back with your finger, when u do, push in then hook your finger down and hold for a moment as shes going to try to push it back out and you want it to settle ... the faster you fix it the more likely it is to heal, but it may happen again...

She may have poo backed up in which case that will have to be kinda dug out... wear gloves... no one wants chicken poo under their nails lol

 

[BantamLover21]

That looks like prolapse, which is when part of the oviduct of a bird is pushed out of the body. It commonly occurs when hens lay overlarge eggs, when pullets lay before they're ready to, or when there is a calcium deficiency in the hen's diet. Sometimes, though, it just happens for an unknown reason.

Here is what you should do: Soak her lower half in warm (95 degree F.) water for 20-30 minutes. This will help her relax, and will help clean off the prolapsed part. After the soak, dry her off the best you can with a towel, and then isolate her in a warm, darkened place to dry completely. Restrict her feed (not water, though); only give feed once in the morning, and then again at night, and do not give her much light. The object is to stop her from laying, which will only aggravate the prolapse. Put some poultry vitamins in her water, and see if you can get her to eat oystershell or ground egg shell, as calcium plays a major part in the function of the muscles of the avian reproductive tract.

Also, if you have any/can get some, rub some honey and/or Witch Hazel on the prolapse. Both things will help shrink the prolapse, and the honey will help prevent infection due to its anti-microbial properties. Make a one-time effort to push in the prolapse, and then don't try again. Pushing on the tissue only serves to irritate it and make it more swollen.

Given enough rest, in a dark, clean place, most prolapses recede back in within 3-4 days. Just keep the prolapse moist, watch for infection (you might consider putting some antibiotic ointment on the tissue), and she should be fine. Under no circumstances should she stay with the rest of the flock, as chickens are attracted to red. If they peck at the prolapse, this will often lead to severe injury, shock, and the death of the hen.

 

[BethChick78]

Thanks for the advice. What do I do if it just won't stay back in?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes extra strength Preparation H will help, but as Bantam Lover 21 said, honey is supposed to be good. Try to keep pushing it back. It may keep coming out with each bowel movement, but the longer it stays out, the less of a chance it will go back in. It can become necrotic, and she may need to be put down.

 

[BantamLover21]

Thanks for the advice. What do I do if it just won't stay back in?

Often times, it doesn't stay in. The best thing to do, though, is not to push it back in constantly, but instead to wait until it recedes on its own. As long as the prolapse is kept clean and moist, 99% of the time, it will go back in with no help within a few days. Preparation H can be used, but it is not effective all of the time. Also, shrinking the prolapse isn't the only solution; if the hen is uncomfortable with the prolapse inside of her, it will be pushed out again, no matter how shrunken it is. Only when the hen relaxes, and is ready, will the prolapse go back in.

 

[BethChick78]

Thanks guys. I'll give it a week and see how she goes.