Chicken Care... vent prolapse

Hello to you!

I'd like to share my first experience with chicken home care... WARNING - my post contains one graphic photo and some icky-butt talk.  But for my vet-tech and nursing friends, fellow chicken keepers or solid stomached friends.. read on!

Saturday before last as I went about my morning barn routine, I noticed one of our hens with what looked like a 'messy bum'.

Much like parents that do a 'diaper wiff test' on their little ones (come on, admit it, we have all picked up our child and did a sniff of the bottom to gauge the severity of the diaper contents) I do peek under my girls' tails from time to time to ensure that everything looks good.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a soft shell egg attached and her very red vent turning outwards.  Though I had never worked with chickens in my 'veterinary technology' days, I had a pretty good assumption that I was seeing a case of vent prolapse.

Scooping up my little hen and placing her in our 'isolation crate' I came indoors to google vent prolapse.  There are so many great chicken sites out there and each one that I read confirmed what I was seeing was vent prolapse.  Thankfully the soft shell egg came out in one piece and it was just the vent that needed attention.

Taking a quick drive into town for a few supplies gave me the immature pleasure at Derek and I leaving the clerk blushing  as she rang in our Saturday night purchases...

Back at home, I bathed our little hen in warm water to loosen off stool and  any egg remnants before gently easing her vent back inside with a gloved finger.  Patting the area dry, I then soaked a napkin in witch hazel and held it in place to help bring down the inflammation.

A warm straw nest was made in the crate and after a generous dollop of hemorrhoid cream on her bottom she was settled in for the night.

To give her body a rest from egg making and laying, it was suggested to withhold food and to limit the amount of time in light for a day.  We settled her crate in my craft room where the other animals would not be able to bother her and where it could be kept dim.

The next morning she laid another soft shelled egg with a skim of calcium on it and thankfully with no trauma to her vent.  Over the next day we steadily increased her feed again but kept her secluded and quiet with applications of the hemorrhoid cream twice daily.

By day four, with the name "Ultra Violet" given to her by the girls and some much needed rest, she was perky and bright eyed and ready to rejoin her coopmates!

Thankfully it was a mild and sunny morning, so I was able to reintroduce her as the others were venturing outdoors.  This was to hopefully minimize any hen pecking that might occur.

Everyone welcomed Ultra Violet back with no issues and she seems back to normal.

It is disconcerting to read that hens with prolapse can often have it recur.  Fingers crossed that we won't see this again, however, I will continue to look at chicken butts regularly.. just in case.

Thanks for reading,
Jeanette