Is it Prolapse

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Question

Is it Prolapse? I have a few Modern Game birds. Four are hens and all are laying. One seems to lay a little bigger egg than the others.

Now, she seems to be prolapsed a bit, about 1/4-1/2". I have been using Preparation H on her and it seems to get better for a day or so.

I have had a hen in the past that has died form this, so any information that could help would be appreciated.

Answer
Please be sure to isolate the hen as others will sometimes peck at the area. Give the hen a good soaking in a warm tub and then apply the Preparation H.

Make sure that she is eating and drinking well. I would suggest that you add some molasses to her food as this will entice her to eat.

You can also add some scrambled eggs, yogurt or canned cat food to her diet. Always be sure to offer fruits and vegetables.

Chicken organs outside

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Question
Chicken organs outside: I have an older Rhode Island Red about 4 who no longer lays eggs but has an innard part of her body coming out of behind. Is that her uterus and should I push it back in? if so, how?

Answer
This could be part of her oviduct or her intestinal tract, hopefully not uterus.

A prolapse in this area could be caused by constipation or her attempts to lay an egg.

I read an article on line recently, where it can be possible to use some Preparation H, a human hemorrhoid cream, to lubricate and soothe irritated tissue and gently attempting to push the innard parts back in.

You would want to clean the area first with warm water and use a latex glove to apply cream and push this prolapse back inside.

If there is bleeding she is open to infection and this area is high in bacteria due to the passage of droppings.

You should isolate her from other chickens in a warm, clean and dry environment as other chickens may peck at this unusual sight and make things worse.

She needs to be free of stress and further injury, if she is to recover.

At her age, this may mean she is done. Since she no longer lays she is beyond her healthy years and general health is on the decline.

You may need to put her out of her misery to prevent a slow and possibly painful death.

Many chickens reach their prime at 2 years of age. So she may have lived the longest best life she possibly could, to this point.

Chicken guts

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Question
Chicken guts: Looks like guts or a sack is hanging out my rhode island red hens rear end. What's wrong; what should I do?

Answer
Sadly, there may be nothing you can do. This could be a prolapse of her oviduct or intestines through her vent, possibly both.

If you want to try to doctor her, you would need to gently clean the organs that need to go back inside.

I've heard of applying a hemmeroid cream to help reduce swelling and discomfort. Once clean, the organs must be gently pushed back inside.

The muscles around the vent may be able to hold the prolapses inside again.

She may have become egg bound. Possibly in her efforts to pass a difficult egg, with strong muscle contractions, her internal organs were pushed out.

There is always the possibility for healing and returning to normal laying and passing of droppings.

But due to the single vent for passing eggs and droppings, she may be unable to do either until swelling is reduced.

There is always the possibility of permanent damage. Often a hen in this condition is humanely euthanized due to the risk of multiple health risks and suffering.

She should be isolated from other poultry that may further irritate this problem with curious pecking.

If she can pass droppings within 24 hours of having the prolapse reinserted, there is a good chance she can heal and return to normal with some time.

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Bleeding bum

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Question
My chicken has stopped laying at the age of two and now has a bleeding bum and runny poos. I have three other hens who are well but only one is laying.

Answer
This is a common age for “production bred” hens to be done laying. The blood may be from a prolapsed oviduct, possibly her uterus.

Sadly, some chickens are bred for short productive lives. Once they reach 2, general health starts to decline.

She may be trying to lay an egg, and her muscles pushed too hard, causing these inward parts to pop out. You didn’t say what breed she is, if she is a pet.

If you plan to do whatever you can to save her, she would probably need to see a veterinarian. She may need antibiotics and other medical care.

Unfortunately, if she is the type of chicken that is short lived, there may be more wrong inside her that you can’t see and she won’t get better.

I wish I could be more hopeful, but not knowing much about her but age, this is what comes to mind.

I could be totally wrong, but we have had several questions recently with similar problems, and I know that chicken breeds have very different life expectancies, depending on the purpose of the breed.

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Pasty butt syndrome

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Question
Pasty butt syndrome: I checked my baby chick’s butts this morning and they were fine.

Tonight one of them has hard poo and part of her innards hanging out her bottom. Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Most likely not. I would give a warm bath to remove the poo and give a good exam of the innards you see.

With a lubricated cotton swab you could very gently try to poke the innards back into the vent.

One of the problems with this prolapse of innards is that other chicks will peck at it and cause more damage.

Keep an eye on the chick and if the prolapsed innards won’t stay in, I suggest putting it out of its misery.

A chicken this young with such a serious problem is “defective”. It happens. There was probably nothing you could have done to prevent it.

If you are having a problem with pasty butt chicks, you need to help them out. This one may have been constipated and prolapsed having to use unusual force to pass its poo.

If the others aren’t having this problem, that one chick was definitely “defective”. If others are pasty, they need a diet change.

If you are feeding a medicated chick start, stop. Get non-medicated. The antibiotics can kill off good digestive bacteria, which can keep foods from digesting properly.

Feeding greens like chopped lettuce and some fruit may help them digest better. You may need to give probiotics, which are available at most feed stores.

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