Prolapse! How to help your hen with prolapsed oviduct

[@pastamac1753]

I saw one of my girls with a small prolapse, put her inside,grabbed my phone and watched your video. THANK YOU!!!!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope she's better soon. Don't despair if it pops out again a few times, just put it back again. Best wishes

[@DOBBS64]

Same!

[@janedolan8817]

My chicken would not have made it if I did not watch your video. Your patience and persistence taught me to keep trying. Her vent also had a fistula from being pecked. We tried calling vets, yet they never responded. Meanwhile, our chicken never acted sick despite her severe issue. Though it is too early to say for sure, she seems to be healing and making a full recovery. We truly owe it to you! 🙏

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm so glad. Remember you might have to repeat the process a couple of times when she poops, but don't despair. Best wishes for a complete and permanent recovery ❤

[@janedolan111]

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you so much, you are a true inspiration!

[@dandahermitseals5582]

That is the most patient chicken I ever saw.

[@dandahermitseals5582]

This just happened to our hen and she died.

[@chickensinmygarden]

So sad when a beloved chicken dies 🥺

[@littleme3597]

The hen seems to be relaxed and knows, you are trying to help her.

[@SteliosTheVet]

As a vet, thank you for the valuable information!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you never have to use it but if a poor hen needs help I'm sure you would be well placed to give it. As I said, this was a fairly mild version, as indeed many are. If the poor thing is eviscerated or the protrusion has been pecked and wounded badly, the kindest option may be euthanasia. As a vet you might be asked to manage a hen who repeatedly prolapses. Sterilisation by surgical hysterectomy or chemical contraception have been used when the owner is insistent.

[@writebetterwithsherry5253]

Thank you for posting this! It might have saved my chickens life as she prolapsed today. I am praying she lives through the night as hers was considerably worse than Agnes’s. That said, your patience and encouragement gave me the fortitude to keep trying when I did not believe her “parts” were going to go back inside of her. That said, a particularly helpful tip I learned from a different channel was to use glucose water made by putting water on to heat and adding tablespoon after tablespoon of sugar until the sugar will not absorb anymore (this has happened when the granules of sugar you are adding stop dissolving). Anyway, I worked on my hen for an hour or so when I decided to keep applying the glucose water I had made and all at once progress was being made as the prolapsed part finally allowed me to work it inside of her. Now I get to wait and see if she makes it. At least she has a chance whereas before she got it, I didn’t know this problem could happen.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about her problem, but very glad you were able to help. I hope she continues to do ok, although often they will have a setback. If possible, I would suggest getting her seen by a vet (although I know that's not always an option). My thoughts are with you both 🙏

[@pharnes1537]

Thank you so much for this video!! After 40 yrs of chicken herding I found my first sweet hen today with a prolapsed vent. I followed your clear and informative instructions and she's back out with her sisters. Someone has started laying extra large eggs these last couple of days and I suspect it may be her. Will keep an eye on her. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm so glad she's doing well 🙂 Now do remember not to get disheartened if it pops out again, just pop it in again and eventually it will stay. If she lays again tomorrow it could well pop out again. So keep an eye on her (I'm sure you will). Best wishes for a full recovery 😘

[@pharnes1537]

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you for your reply and support. Will keep my eye open!

[@moosie711]

After 10y of having chickens I found one of my hens with this today. Thanks to this video I feel so much better about tackling this issue. Thank you!

[@chickensinmygarden]

With all of your experience I'm sure you will handle the situation very capably. My best wishes that she's not got it too seriously and she recovers completely eventually.

[@PikaChu-eb9qi]

Your hens are very lucky to have you as their chicken mom🐥

[@chickensinmygarden]

I think I'm lucky to have them 🙂

[@PikaChu-eb9qi]

@@chickensinmygardenthat 2!I got chickens,but they turned in to 🐓 roosters, so I'm lucky to have roosters ☺

[@Bill340s]

I found one of my chickens prolapsed around a week ago. I am new to chickens so was not aware this could happen. She was bleeding from another chicken pecking at it but I found it shortly after it happened since I check chickens couple times a day. I removed her from the pen and bathed the chicken daily got most of her insides in but still a bit was hanging out. I did succeed at keeping her clean preventing infection but was not able to keep insides completely in. Worry was setting in cause several days had passed with ongoing protrusion. After finding this video last night I was able to utilized what was taught today. After bathing chicken I wrapped chicken in towel, got her comfortable relaxed, applied cortisone cream, gently worked guts back in, then held chicken for almost an hour gently held clean wash cloth to her behind occasionally applying cortisone cream and make sure guts stayed in. Chicken was so relaxed she closed her eyes at times, stopped pushing guts out, and I could feel her butt muscle tightening holding it shut. Several hours later her butt stayed closed, with no protrusion, and I saw her do a big poo and butt closed back up no protrusion. Night time set in and she ended the day with a normal looking behind for the first time in almost a week. I don't think I could have saved her if not for the knowledge gained in this video. Thank you.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That is so good to hear, especially that it stayed in after a poo! Well done!

[@Bill340s]

@@chickensinmygarden I was able to reunite her with the other two chickens without issue. The three chickens seem to be very happy to be back together again. I don't think she is laying any eggs yet which is fine by me as long as her health is good.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Excellent news! Well done!

[@deanne940]

Thank you! I am dealing with my first proplase. I'm praying I am successful

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you managed OK. Remember you might have to do this a few times before it stays in place. Best wishes

[@MrReally224]

I’m just getting started with chickens. I hope I never have this problem, but I’m glad I now know what to do. Thank you.

[@lindatisue733]

You can delay egg laying by keeping them in the dim light until 26 weeks of age.

[@TedSailAwayCost]

Thank you so much for the educational tips. You said that your not a vet , but I think you have given chicken’s a lot of relief in your own coop as well as many people who have viewed your experience. Great job.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. It's a relief to be able to help if we can

[@JADDownunder]

Thankyou so much for sharing. I had the same with one of my chooks only this week, gave her a long epsom slat bath and push it back in thinking she might not survive the night. So glad she did. Anyhow watching how you calmly described and demonstrated the how to treat your chicken is very encouraging for me. I’ll sleep easier as a result. Many many thanks.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I expect you're in a different time zone to me and probably asleep as I write this so I hope you slept well. And I hope your chicken is on the mend. Remember not to get downhearted if she pushes it out again a few times, for example when pooing. Best wishes to you both 🙂

[@theelegantcouplesbookrevie8734]

Thank you so much for your calm and helpful advice. It helped me to stay calm without panicking to help my girl

[@chickensinmygarden]

That's so good to hear. I'm sure you did very well. Best wishes for a complete recovery for her.

[@tatianaphilippova2903]

...oh, I would panic for sure should such situation arise!🥺Thank you for being so calm and professional in helping us all! ❤

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you never need to try this. Have a great day 🙂

[@tatianaphilippova2903]

@@chickensinmygarden Want to say thank you once again! Just had a situation in my flock - huge prolapse (poor rescue chook tried to push out a tiny blob of membrane + jelly-alike substance in it, and did it so hard that mostly turned herself inside out!) Your video helped A LOT! I am so grateful to you for sharing the way to handle it. Cannot thank you enough!

[@chickensinmygarden]

So sad that happened to your poor chicken but so proud of you for handling the situation calmly and kindly. Best wishes for a full recovery ❤️

[@aktollers8424]

I am working with my first prolapsed vent. Your information is very helpful. Thank You. You are correct, Sister, is a very young hen who began laying at 4 months. Wish me luck

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh dear, good luck to you and your hen. Remember you will probably have to do it a few times, so don't get discouraged if it all pops out again.

[@frediebyrd1601]

Best of luck. I just recently had to treat mine for this and thankfully it was a success. Patience was the key for me. She was very tolerable when taking her bath and then blow drying her after. It helped calm her down alot

[@karolespencer]

Who else watched this whole video to be educated and then went back to find the "baby chickies sleeping" video 🤗😁🐣❤️🥰

[@allisoncolby7851]

This video was super helpful! In fact, it was the only one of several I watched, that had the descriptive diagram of the hen anatomy, making it substantially easier to understand what is going on with their body. It helped make sense of how to put the prolapse back inside. I appreciate all your suggestions also, like cutting the feathers, and how prep H cream isnt really a good idea, and why, as other videos had suggested using. As grateful and appreciative as I am for having a resource/reference to study on how to fix this kind of problem, and to all those who made videos to share and help people with this kind of scary, definitely unsightly occurance, this video was by far, the very best I'd seen, and as said, the only one with a diagram that explains the hen's anatomy, which gave me more than just instructions, it educated me, which can help anyone feel more confident about performing this somewhat awkward and not terribly pleasant proceedure. But we do what we have to do for our beloved pets. Its just good to know how and what that is, so Im able to solve the problem, and get my birdie girl treated and back to normal asap. I also wanted to thank you for the encouragement and reassurance not to be alarmed if it happens again, or doesnt stay in right away, and to patiently keep trying until the vent stays in on its own. If you hadn't shared that, I may have been unduly alarmed, thinking I did something wrong or the problem wasnt fixable, so that info and reassurance you included was very thoughtful and kind of you indeed! Just an outstanding video, providing great instructions and with educated advice and approach from start to finish! Thank you so, so much, for sharing your excellent knowledge. Many blessings to you, and consider me a new and very happy subscriber!🐔👍😊👉🥇🏆💖🐓

[@chickensinmygarden]

Wow, thank you so much for your compliment. And I'm glad my video achieved what I hoped it would - to pass on to you some insight into how to help. Since you watched several videos, I'm guessing that right now you have a hen with prolapse. Best wishes to you both for a full recovery. 🙂

[@amandabassham3898]

Thank you so much for such a calming video. My son just got chickens 18 weeks ago and came in tonight very upset that one of his favorite hens had a problem with her "butt". We narrowed it down to a prolased vent. It is very small as she hasn't started laying yet. It's been very hot and we were advised to add electrolytes to her water. Your calmness with Agnes helped me know what to do. She hasn't been pecked at, and hopefully this will fix it. Thank you.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh dear, that's a bad start for a young hen. Best wishes for a full recovery. It would be wise to watch her very carefully for a recurrence especially once she comes into lay. If your son keeps handling her gently, even just a stroke at bedtime, that will help her be calm if she needs any repeat (or other) treatment.

[@angelawrence4449]

Your husband must be a patient and good man!!! God bless his soul!!

[@chickensinmygarden]

He certainly is wonderful 🙂

[@BB-hn7pf]

Thank you for posting this, it was very informative and helpful! I've never had this happen, but now I know what to do.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you never have to 🙂

[@edsmith8167]

I took my hen to the vet this morning as she has a prolapse which won't stay in. I don't know how long it was out for before I noticed but there are crusty bits on it. I have bathed her by submerging her bottom in warm water with iodine in it. I have held her in the water for at least 15 mins at a time so her vent and prolapse have had a good disinfecting. I can get it back inside her but no matter how many times I do it, she pops it out again. When I took her to the vet he had been under the impression that she wasn't laying anymore and had intended putting a purse-string stitch around the vent to keep it tight enough to stop the prolapse happening. As it happened, she's laid an egg last night so we knew she was still fertile. As it turned out she had an antibiotic injection and an anti-inflammatory injection and I have come home with antibiotic capsules to give her twice a day in her food. She has a bit of water-belly (infection) hence the antibiotics. She's eating well, pooing and laying so at least everything is still working, unfortunately I will have to keep her separated from the rest of the flock as there are a couple of bullies who no doubt would go for the prolapse. I already had taken 2 'henpecked' hens away prior to Miss Prolapse because their rear ends had been picked at and were bloody, attracting cannibalism. This is a bad time for hens over here as we have to keep all hens under cover due to Avian Flu so their 'personal space' is more restricted and you can't feed one without everyone else seeing what you are doing and bullying to get first dibs. Anyway, I was actually looking to see if anyone had ever made any protector for a hen's bottom. I have made hen aprons in the past to protect them from an over enthusiastic cockerel's talons but am thinking of a way to make something that hangs down under the tail to hide the exposed prolapse so that the others don't start pecking at it. Anyone got any ideas?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you found a good vet. Hopefully the treatment will be successful. 🙏 There are certainly things called chicken diapers. Maybe that would do the trick?

[@bornfree3821]

The stupid blue face masks fonslly have a purpose😂

[@carolsanborn5332]

You were so good +patient to help poor Agnes. Now I know what to do if this ever happens to any of my first flock of hens . Thank you so much.🐔 Stay well Agnes❣

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you never have to but 🙂 now you will be a little more confident if you do. Agnes did stay well, thank you

[@mickybearden9641]

Ohhhhh You are such a Sweetheart & Poor Lil Agnus...Bless Her Lil Chickie Heart

[@chickensinmygarden]

She's so patient with me 🙂

[@rd4469]

I'm going to share this video with my friend. She just asked me the other day if I've had any problems with a prolapsed vent. Luckily, I haven't. My girls are almost two years old, her chickens are about 7 months. Thank you for this informative video!!!!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I think Agnes was 2 or 3 years old when this first happened to her.

[@rd4469]

@@chickensinmygarden I'll keep a watchful eye out on my birds.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Don't be too anxious though - I have had lots of other older hens including some with other risk factors and Agnes is the only one who ever had a prolapse. Although it's not rare it's certainly not common

[@rd4469]

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. 😊

[@royalicing8603]

BRILLIANT! I cannot thank you enough!! You are my hero! I would never have known what to do, but you made me feel confident that I could do this! BLESSINGS!!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hope you don't have to, but I'm sure you could if your chicken needed you 🙂

[@angelawrence4449]

One of my girls had this problem. The vet said we had to put her down. The vet said we could do surgery but it's very risky and she may not make it. The vet said if we pushed it back in, that it most probably come out again. It was a very sad day coming home with no chook. God bless.🕊

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm sorry to hear that. Agnes had a mild case . Some of them are much worse. So far Agnes has stayed back in place since then. Fingers crossed

[@angelawrence4449]

@@chickensinmygarden amen. She's a lovely chook and you are a great mother hen. God bless you both. 🕊

[@chickensinmygarden]

@@angelawrence4449 Thank you. 🙏

[@karenhancock542]

Thank you so much for doing this video! I'm going out to my chicken pen and start to investigate my one Buff Orpington who is not doing well and has a very messy butt. I hope I am able to help her!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Fingers crossed it's nothing serious

[@vanessamanalo5147]

Thank you so much for this informative video. I am a new chicken owner and your videos have given me confidence and valuable knowledge in taking care of my two hens.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That's great. I'm sure with your caring attitude you and your chickens will do just fine 🙂

[@lindatisue733]

Had a heavy breeder farm, 20,000 hens. Prolapsed were very rare. Maybe because we delayed egg laying until 28 weeks, maybe because they were very large but on a restricted calorie diet too. An old farmer remedy, was to use honey on the uterus, would make it shrink, and antiseptic.

[@lizgarfinkle8681]

Thank you, this video was extremely helpful to me for treating my fully-prolapsed hen today (including her ovary, I'm afraid). I wanted to add my kind vet's advise to sprinkle sugar on her prolapsed parts, if I have trouble getting them back in, and to wait 15 minutes, as that will draw out the liquid and make it easier to reinsert, which worked fantastically! I am skeptical she will have a full recovery, because the prolapse was so severe, but it's staying in her for now, and she broke out of her rehab crate and joined her friends on the root tonight, so I'm letting her do her thing while she can.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh the poor thing! Such a severe prolapse! I hope she does recover. How lucky you had a vet who knows about chickens. And thank you for passing on that tip. Great to hear that it worked and that the hen is doing OK for now. Best wishes to both of you

[@lizgarfinkle8681]

Thank you for the kind response! Wally seemed totally normal for 3 days, and then she prolapsed again. It was much smaller, but was encrusted with something and seemed damaged. I reinserted it two times that day, and then gave up and kept her in a large crate for another 2.5 days. I suspect she has an infection, but she is otherwise acting fine, pooping normally through her weird outie vent. I gave up on crating her or reinserting (as it seems to have scar tissue now) and she's happy to be out and about. Not sure what I'm doing next. I am personally very worried about infection, because I recently got very sick when I wasn't careful enough after treating an egg-bound hen. However, I don't want to end or restrict a gentle hen's life before she's ready.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Ah, that doesn't sound promising. It does sound like it's time to let her alone for a while and let her enjoy what she can. I suggest you keep a close watch for signs of pain or distress and be ready to put her out of her misery if that occurs. Let's hope she has a little while longer of quality time

[@dodgersfnshepard8673]

Extremely helpful. My runt of the 4 has a poo butt and must be treated. Excellent coverage of the topic, thanks!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you. I'm glad you found it helpful 🙂

[@M.C.Darkness]

I'm currently dealing with this now, I hope she resolves her issue with no problem. Thank you for sharing.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh I do hope so. Be patient and persistent, and hopefully she will make a long-term recovery. Best wishes to you both

[@M.C.Darkness]

Would you say holding the vent closed for a period of time would help it settle in? She's walking around and eating normally despite it popping back out.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Yes keeping it closed up will help the loose muscles return to normal

[@brightantwerp]

Thank you so much! My hen had this and it looked like a big problem to me, not knowing what to do. Thanks to your video I was able to solve it, and it was not that difficult.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That's wonderful! Best wishes to you both 🙂

[@angelawrence4449]

I love those sweet sounds they make. 💞

[@chickensinmygarden]

She's such a sweet natured chicken

[@theruffledbunny2675]

This video was tremendously helpful to me! Thank you so much for posting it :-)

[@chickensinmygarden]

That's great to hear. I hope you and your chickens are doing well 🙂

[@angelawrence4449]

Im so glad you were able to fix her. I might try this if it happens again. Thank you 💞

[@chickensinmygarden]

If you can do it yourself, you can keep repeating it until it stays in. The vet usually can't do that so easily

[@angelawrence4449]

@@chickensinmygarden i my chook had a bad prolapse. There was alot hanging out. She laid big eggs and double yokers. My chooks are brown shavers aka hybrids. We had know idea about chickens before we got them. In hindsight i would have liked to have completed a "raising chickens course". Quite stressful going in blind. Still got 3 of the 4 in two years but if it wasn't for my due diligence with catching problems early. "Early" is key with chooks. They hide illness so well, don't they... Soon as i notice something out of the ordinary i take notice quickly. Bring them in and then try a figure out what's wrong. Never done so much research on chickens. Despite all the hard work and unexpected stresses chooks bring, we love our feathered friends. And we know they love us too. 💞💞💞💞

[@chickensinmygarden]

@@angelawrence4449 Oh that's sad - there's not much hope if the prolapse is severe. You seem to be doing a great job of being a chicken mum now 🙂

[@angelawrence4449]

@@chickensinmygarden improving the hard way. I've had crop problems, egg bound, soft shells, leading to reproduction problems, prolapsed vent, bumblefoot. I think brown shavers have most of these problems because they hybrids. What are heritage chooks like in comparison?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Yes that's very true. The hybrids are bred to lay flat out, starting young, and not stopping for a couple of years. The cost of that is a short life and not a robustly healthy one. In contrast many of the heritage breeds don't start laying until they are nearly a year old, stop laying for months each winter, but do live longer and generally healthier. But even with the heritage breeds, some have been bred for so many generations purely for looks, for showing, that they have lost their good healthy genes as well as their productivity. If I can find a breeder of a heritage breed who focuses on health and productivity, I always prefer them.

[@willekenieuwboer15]

Thank you very much for this educational video. One of my hens, Joke lays soft-shelled eggs and now I've learned from you to keep a look out for a prolapse. My hen also doesn't minder being handeled and loves sitting on my lap, so I don't expect many problems. Thank you once more for a great video! Keep up the good work!

[@chickensinmygarden]

That's great! Now you know what to do if it happens, but I hope you and Joke never need it.🙂

[@willekenieuwboer15]

@@chickensinmygarden Yes, it's a comforting thought to be prepared. Ik also hope that Joke won't ever have to undergo it, but yuo tought me how. I think you're great! You know a lot about having chickens and I'm greatful for you sharing your knowlege. Excuse me if I don't spell or type it wrong. I'm dutch. ..

[@chickensinmygarden]

Lol. Just imagine me trying to spell in Dutch! Mind you it's just as hard trying to speak in Dutch - you have some sounds that are really difficult for foreign tongues 😃 Anyway we share a love of and fascination for chickens 🙂🐥

[@willekenieuwboer15]

@@chickensinmygarden That's very true! The wordt with 'sch' aren't simpel to pronounce, 😉 It's a good thing that we have the same love for chickens. I gave them to myself as a bithday gift when I turned 65 last year and haven't regreted it for one minute! I enjoy every day with my ladies, as I call them.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh you had to wait even longer than I did. I wanted chickens all my life but it was not until I was about 52 that I was able to have them. I have learnt so much about them in 15 years that I hope I can have them forever.

[@brendalucas15]

excellent video! Thank you for being so graphic and tasteful at the same time. This is real live animal husbandry at it's best.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you so much., I really appreciate that 😊

[@carlpaquette4687]

my chicken has a severe prolapsed that's been exposed for two weeks before i noticed her prolapsed. I'm very grateful for coming across this video because i had good success trying to get the prolapsed back in but i'm afraid the damage has already been done to her large intestines. it looks swollen and scarred from being exposed too long.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That does sound severe. Do watch her carefully for signs of infection or pain. I found this link useful bitchinchickens.com/2021/03/22/dealing-with-pain-in-chickens/

[@brittanytherusticwillow]

Thank you! My chicken prolapsed & your video was so helpful in helping her.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That is great to hear. Best wishes for a full recovery for her 🙂

[@Sinmara]

We had two hens that had prolapses. The first one we managed to get back in and it stayed in for a couple of weeks, but then it happened again and this time it would not stay. We tried several times but but after a few days we had to let her go, she wasn't in a good state. The second hen had such a bad case of prolapse that nothing worked and we had to put her down. It was very distressing treating the prolapse, both for the hens and us :( That was very informative, thank you again!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Very distressing indeed, my sympathies. Agnes is lucky that hers was so mild.

[@daisymermaid1418]

My hen had this too, I treated her for 2 weeks to no avail, stressed me out to the max! It was just prolonging her suffering and pain! Should of put her out of her misery earlier but this video just gives false hope.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm sorry to hear that. Weeks of suffering is far too much

[@frediebyrd1601]

Thank you for sharing and making this video. It helped me every step of the way when treating my girl. It was a success and I can't thank you enough.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing that. I hope your chicken remains well from now on

[@HybridParentSupport]

Awe, the hen knows she is there to help her :)

[@chickensinmygarden]

She is a very good-natured hen

[@powgan1556]

Loved your video. Down to earth and common sense. Thank you VERY MUCH ❤🎉

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you so much 😊

[@joyg8904]

Good job chicken momma. Always great videos

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you so much! Have a great day 😊

[@robinwheatfall3170]

Thank you!!! My chicken had prolapse with the egg still inside the prolapse outside her bum. Very stressful.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh my goodness! I hope she's better now

[@Nendae]

Awesome video! I wish you posted more because I LOVE your videos

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you. I was about doubtful about this one because of the topic but no- one seems to be upset by it. It takes me about a month to make each video, which is why I only release them about once a month

[@dandahermitseals5582]

Haha. Listen to her Talkin to you. I have a 13 tr old Barred Rock wh is actually a house chicken. Yes in my house with me. She's very good in the house. Dandahermit. New sub. Thanks for sharing. We just lost a big strapping healthy to something just after stepping out for from laying an incomplete shelled egg.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Sorry to hear about losing your hen. Sometimes we just don't know what happened, but we can enjoy them while we have them and give them happy lives - they bring so much happiness into ours 🙂

[@dandahermitseals5582]

@@chickensinmygarden we were sad. My wife had just carried sne canning scraps t them and her big Astrolorp just fell over dead after laying a this egg. She was heart broke and it was a sad morning. Thanks for your reply and valuable info. Dandahermit

[@michellebarbour5777]

I have huge faith in your chicken wisdom.I watch all your films with a note book and pencil next to me! Although not related to prolapse, I wonder if I could ask you, and maybe all other readers/watchers of this brilliant site, a question - I need to paint or dye my bantam's skin brown or black on her bare back. What would be safe to paint on her skin, food dye? Milk paint? Tried gention and it just made matters worse. She is 3 years old, moulting in a U,K.heatwave for the last 14 weeks. Every time the bare skin on her back is exposed, everyone else pecks her. (she has feathers everywhere else now). There is no other bullying at any time and I don't think it really is bullying, just pink exposed skin is too tempting. My solution has been to put a saddle on her. Now she doesn't get pecked at all BUT a saddle must be painful on those pin feathers and I think that it's preventing them growing normally on her back. I've tried seperating her within the coup but she is soo distressed, flies up and down and screeches. This emotional pain seems worse than the physical pain for her. So..new plan, to paint her bare back skin black or dark brown to prevent (hopefully!) any pecking interest. I just need some advice about what paint or dye would not harm her? Any tips would be so welcome OR maybe I'm wrong about the saddle and should just leave it on for months? Advice please?x

[@chickensinmygarden]

Hi Michelle. This is not something I have encountered so I'm reluctant to offer advice so please take these comments as just my unsubstantiated thoughts. As far as painting chicken skin goes in order to prevent further pecking, I think the colour should definitely be blue, and I would be choosing something edible like vegetable based food dye. From what I have read about milk paint that should also be ok. The red colour of exposed skin (chicken skin turns red when exposed to light even without being sunburnt) will attract the hens to peck it so you need to disguise that attractive red colour. My thoughts would be that the saddle would be irritating to pin feathers so I would leave that off if possible. Are you using lights at all? I'm thinking that some chicken keepers use red lights with baby chicks to minimise pecking - maybe that's a thought. And maybe if the flock is bored they could do with some distraction. If it's the whole flock pecking her then you can't just separate the pecker but is there a possibility of dividing the group into the peckers and the victim plus a couple of friends, until her feathers come through? Having said that I'm always reluctant to separate chickens because it can cause problems reintegrating them. There are commercially available wound care and anti-pecking products, but I haven't tried any of them. This link might be worth a look - www.chickenvet.co.uk/feather-loss I hope the poor thing gets better soon.

[@michellebarbour5777]

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you for these thoughts. Blue is a good idea.

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

This video actually came in handy once when I noticed a hen with this condition. I did just what you said and she was fine. I also had an intersting situation with an almost eggbound hen a couple days ago. She appeared to be bleeding while leaving a dropping. And the other chickens ate it up so fast I could not look at it. I grabbed her quickly and brought her into what I call a chicken spa in a large dog carrier in my home bathroom. She got the usual epsom salt bath with garlic essential oil in it. She loved it. I examined her whilst bathing her and checking her vent which was clean and normal. I felt an egg she had not yet laid down from her vent, so I was very careful with her. Just kept washing her vent with the warm epsom salt bathwater. I put her in the kennel on some towels. She was eating and drinking quite normally. After a while I could tell she didn't want to be in the kennel anymore. Her first dropping was a red fleshy strand and all normal afterwards. I blowdried my first hen very carefully (details upon request.) She loved it. She sat in my lap. Once she was dry, she could puff up again and regulate her own heat. I put her outside in the chicken yard. Everything appeared normal again. The next day I found an rather large odd shaped egg with a slight smear of red blood on it. In agreement with my country vet that hen was going eggbound and strained bursting a blood vessel in the yard. Then laid the egg the next day with the slight remains of the blood. What a learning experience. All is again well in the coop with the exception of a blizzard and literally cooping the flock up for a few days until it passes.

[@chickensinmygarden]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing. And I'm glad everything worked out fine 🙂

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and thoughts so freely. When I share what I have been experiencing and you don't seem alarmed it calms me. You need to start a goat channel, that comes in a few months 🙂

[@chickensinmygarden]

Goats! That sounds exciting! Will you get milk and make cheese? Or do you need more than one goat for that?

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

Yes we plan to keep the milk going and learn to make goat cheese. Yum! We will have the Alpine bred for milk so we will end up raising a kid as well as 1 Alpine ane and 1 Boer goat. We may breed both but not sure if at the same time. A new adventure for sure :)

[@MyTNMtnHome]

You handled that so well.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you. The hen wasn't quite so pleased 🙂 but better afterwards than before

[@Lucy00682]

Loved your video...first time watching your channel. I have a couple of chickens, if that happens I'll know what to do.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Welcome to the channel. I hope you find lots of interest 🙂

[@monellearseneau3368]

that was amazing ! Awesome video! Definitly a keeper! Thank you for sharing!! 💕

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you. I hope you never need it

[@christynm.8933]

THIS VIDEO WAS VERY HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE...THANKS SO MUCH! ❤🐓

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you very much for saying so 🙂

[@saraglickman5889]

Thank you so much for sharing! You wouldn't believe the attitude I got from the receptionists at the vet when I called several to see if they would see a chicken! They thought I was weird... well, I think it's weird they don't see such a common animal! This is very valuable information in case of an emergency. Thanks so much for the video & I hope Agnes had a speedy recovery. It doesn't seem to hurt them very much when you were trying to push the prolapse back in. That's a relief. I think if my hen made a big fuss while doing that it would definitely make me fearful of doing something wrong! I have one last question, some of my eggs have poop on the shells, is that a bad sign? Did the poop most likely get on the egg from a messy coop? It's not getting on there as a result of the vent and coclea not opening & closing as it should?

[@chickensinmygarden]

There are vets that specialise in poultry but unfortunately they are very few. Yes Agnes recovered well, thank you. And no, I'm sure it feels odd and uncomfortable but not painful. If the nest box is poopy, then the eggs will probably get poop on them from there. If the nest box is clean but you find a few eggs with a single blob of poop on them, it's probably a hen with weak muscles - nothing to be concerned about but you do need to wipe the poop off promptly and use that egg as soon as possible.

[@cocowalker1599]

Great Video. Thank you . Do you have any information on vent gleet ?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thanks. Sorry I have never experienced vent gleet. This link might help www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vent-gleet Be aware that vent gleet is typically caused by yeast so antibiotics will make it worse. However some cases are caused by bacteria or even a herpes virus so identification by a vet lab would be advisable before treatment with anything other than hygiene and supportive care. Best wishes

[@hardygardener3091]

Thank you for taking the time to film what to do. I was just interested in case it ever happened in my flock. One of my chickens who has been laying for a few months now has started to lay eggs with the thinker and darker band around them. Is there anything I should do for her to prevent a prolapse?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Apart from avoiding stress (for example don't be using artificial lighting to extend laying) and making sure she has a good diet with plenty of calcium (but not too much) I don't think there's much that can be done to avoid it happening

[@larryrigney9277]

Thank you for this video. You are a really good caregiver.

[@chickensinmygarden]

They deserve it 🙂

[@Theweeze100]

Thank you so much for this, informative, and helpful video!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you for the compliment. I hope you never have to use this knowledge 🙂

[@Theweeze100]

@@chickensinmygarden Unfortunately, I am having to keep an eye on one of our chickens as I speak. My wife and I are new to this, and it’s not like having dogs and cats that’s for sure. It’s comforting, to have another chicken owner (patiently )walk us through the steps. Thank you so much!

[@chickensinmygarden]

@Theweeze100 Best wishes for a complete recovery 😘😀

[@AffieMad]

I have just got one of my hens over a prolapse, this video helped me although the only thing that finally helped keep the prolapse in was haemorroid cream and noticed a real improvement in 2 days. Thankfully she is back out with her sisters again and 100% better. Also looking at this hens feet to me it looks like she has bumblefoot.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Glad to hear she recovered. Haemorrhoid cream shrinks blood vessels, because hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels, whereas prolapse is not a blood vessel. I hope she continues to make a full recovery 🙂

[@kammyHS]

Great Video thank you so much for sharing. I’ve never had this problem but will know what to do if I ever do- thanks again 🐔

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thanks for that. I hope you never have to use this knowledge

[@sharonpurcell7588]

Thank you so much for the video. I did exactly what you showed - except I wore gloves ! - and so far Polly Prolapse is doing fine. :)

[@chickensinmygarden]

Excellent. That's really great to hear. Best wishes for a permanent recovery 🙂

[@Duby4life]

Thank you! This is very helpful.

[@chickensinmygarden]

You're welcome. Best wishes to you and your chickens 😊

[@MrsNClark]

This was very helpful. Thank you

[@nedeem]

Thank you so much for this video! This and all your videos are so helpful...and Agnes is beautiful!

[@chickensinmygarden]

I've always thought she's a bit ugly on the outside but she's a sweetheart.

[@pattilesley3755]

Awesome video! Thank you for the lesson. I hope I never need to do that but now I know how if it occurs 🙂

[@chickensinmygarden]

My fingers crossed that you never need to know

[@cynthialynnjones6563]

@@chickensinmygarden I didn't take photos and I should have, but my hands were busy with one of my girls. I am so thankful you posted this video. I had my first prolapse with one of my 19 month girls, Alice. I followed exactly what you did in this video and she is and acting normal right now, although still wet from soaking. I was very patient and just kept putting it back in, and she was very patient with me. It also gave me a good opportunity to multi task and get a good look at her. She had the beginning of a bumble foot, so I took care of that too. I hope she is going to be okay.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm so glad that worked out well 🙂🙂 Be prepared for it to pop out again when she poops or lays, but if it stays in for even a short time, the length of time it stays in should get longer each time 👍

[@tammybenadventures4839]

I just found my hen with the same issue, I washed her bottom and then I massaged the tissue back in. I then applied my homemade calendula salve and it looks good. I’m keeping her isolated from the other hens and keeping her in the dark. Not sure what to feed her to slow down her egg laying but I heard to keep her away from layer feed for a few days until it’s resolved.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Well done. I hope she makes a quick and full recovery. Drastically lowering the calories will put her into a moult and stop her laying but I would NOT recommend it - it's basically starving her. I can't think of any other reason to suggest avoiding layer feed in the hope that would stop her laying. My thoughts would be to keep her as calm, comfortable and happy as possible. All the best.

[@tammybenadventures4839]

Thanks for the quick response I just put her back out in the coop. I’ll just daily push the tissue back in if needed, keep it clean as you suggested and keep a close eye. Im glad you mentioned the feed, I don’t want her to starve.

[@catcat9582]

Isn't it just like fasting

[@lizxu322]

How far do you need to push it in? Because obviously both too far and not far enough is bad

[@chickensinmygarden]

Just until all the tissue is inside, past the ring of muscle that you feel at the skin surface.

[@faltio69]

Awesome video as always. Very informative! I’m curious if you ever had to do some surgery to keep it in there before?

[@chickensinmygarden]

I have not done so but I believe it is commonly done. The outcome doesn't seem to be often successful. But then that's kind of true for everything about prolapse - it often recurs.

[@faltio69]

Chickens in my garden I would assume it may run from stock to stock! 😞 I think this is a good reason to buy from reputable breeder!

[@chickensinmygarden]

There might be a genetic predisposition but compounded by the factors I mentioned - most of which are related to strain on egg laying in one way or another.

[@chickensinmygarden]

But it's always a good idea to buy from a reputable breeder

[@megasyxx]

Thank you for sharing! The same thing happened to one of my hens. Thankfully, after submerging her behind on warm water and using mild soap to gently massage and clean the exposed tissue, it actually came back inside by itself.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm so glad that was a good outcome Well done 🙂

[@megasyxx]

@@chickensinmygarden an update on her.......she tried to lay an egg today and was really having a hard time getting it out. It seems her insides will pop out again but after some super chicken efforts, the egg eventually came out. Her behind though is a bit swollen so I guess it needs to heal first.

[@chickensinmygarden]

That sounds good - laying an egg could have undone all the healing but it sounds like she got through it pretty well. Let's hope she's on her way to a complete recovery

[@terrieschultz7343]

Thanks

[@cheripierre9029]

Wonderful tutorial, thank you for sharing with us. 🥰🐥🐓

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank YOU 🙂

[@marciasmith8159]

Great advice. Thank you.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you 🙂

[@casmarykay8433]

That is a very pretty green egg Agnes laid, even with the stripe! I've noticed her in other videos and always wondered what breed is she?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Well, I hatched her from eggs sold to me as purebred Araucana but she's certainly not that! I reckon she's one of a kind 🙂 But there's probably some Araucana in her heritage somewhere which would be where the blue in her eggshells comes from. Of course there's a bit of brown pigment over the top (which a purebred Araucana wouldn't do) so that's why they look green.

[@casmarykay8433]

@@chickensinmygarden She resembles a half Silkie, half lavender Orp that I have, but mine lays Silkie type eggs. She's simply gorgeous. It's near impossible to get Araucana eggs in the US. :( Sometimes, I'll have one of the Americanas that resemble them, but never pure bred.

[@jocelynedwards1720]

Thank you, this video was clear and very helpful. Unfortunately I don't think our hen is going to make it. By the time we saw her prolapsed vent it was very swollen and clogged with lots of poop. I got the poo cleared and gently pushed her tissue back in but she keeps pushing it back out no matter how long I get her relax with it in. She hasn't been able to properly poop all day and is oozing a clear goo. Wondering if you let them rest between "fixing" it. I have done it 4 times in a row and am afraid I have messed with the tissue too much. It is getting dark, and no long pink. I feel so sad for her!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh dear. Yes I would give her a rest now. Make her comfortable overnight, perhaps not on the perch but near her flockmates. See how she is tomorrow, and do another clean up and push back in. Then give her another break - maybe three treatments over the day. If the area isn't pecked or bleeding or longer than about 3inches she has a good chance of recovering eventually.

[@jocelynedwards1720]

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you for the reply! I'm going to let her rest and see how she is looking in the morning. She just laid an egg- and I don't even know how that was possible with the condition she's in.

[@chickensinmygarden]

What a sweetie! But laying an egg will push things out again so not ideal. Then again it's a sign that she's not at death's door so that's a positive. 🤞

[@jacquelinehill6560]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@PlumaTheRVSerama]

Please help. My 1 year old serama pushes what looks like a prolapse but only when she poops. It really comes out if the poop is soft or small, but it always goes back in!!! What do I do? Just wait until it comes out and stay out? How can I keep it from coming out at all? Thank you for the information.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Well I'm not a vet, and if you're really concerned maybe you should take her to a vet. But I think if she were my chicken I would just be watching to see if it gets worse. Is she laying?

[@helgag2142]

Thank you for this video. Do you have any advice for dealing with a chicken who pushes it back out time and again? It’s been going on for a week, she seems quite happy, she’s not being pecked but she keeps it in until she does a poo and then it pops out again.

[@chickensinmygarden]

A vet could put in a couple of stitches to hold it in place. Otherwise just be persistent putting it back in. Even putting it back in two or three times a day can be enough that it will pop out less and less and eventually stay in.

[@helgag2142]

Thank you

[@maccaseybailey5891]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thanks for watching 🙂

[@resellhustle9451]

Our chicken, Nelly has a prolapse but the egg is on the outside of her in the prolapse. And, there is not apparent opening for the egg to come out. She is only 5 months and this is her 1st egg.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh that sounds bad. The opening for the egg to come through must be kinked up inside her. Perhaps very gently push the egg back in to straighten things out but DON'T BREAK THE EGG. Otherwise this sounds like a medical emergency that needs a vet

[@resellhustle9451]

@@chickensinmygarden We tried pushing it back in her and it just fell out again. She is at the vet now getting a little surgery. Thank you for your response.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I'm so glad you have a vet handy. Best wishes for Nelly's speedy recovery

[@resellhustle9451]

@@chickensinmygarden The vet said she had a deformity and where she was suppose to have the opening for the egg to pass through it was completely closed. The vet created an opening and Nellie is now resting in "chicken quarantine" at home and needs antibiotics for awhile. (In case you were wondering.) Thank you for your well wishes.

[@chickensinmygarden]

Oh my goodness! Thank heavens she got such excellent care. Thanks for letting me know. All the best 🙂

[@jasminflower3814]

Great video, thank you very much. Love from Australia. xoxo

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you. I was a bit doubtful about whether people would find it too gruesome

[@jasminflower3814]

@@chickensinmygarden That's how we learn, boots and all. It wasn't too gruesome at all. ;-)

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thanks 🙂

[@saltlifegull4091]

Eggexcellent! This happened to one of my ducks and it worked after watching your demonstration. Poor thing, felt so bad for her and wondered if the males mating her could have caused it. Your opinion? Thanks:))

[@chickensinmygarden]

Glad to hear of your success 🙂 I know very little about ducks but I understand that the drake has a penis with a strange shape, so perhaps it's a possibility.

[@AncientEnergyEyesOpen]

@Leah Allen how is your duck doing today? I just found one of our ducks today with a prolapse. There isn't much online for this in ducks. I'm just curious about success rate in trying to fix it.

[@shimasfaris2917]

Could I use a bit of medical alcohol or hand sanitizer as disinfectant

[@chickensinmygarden]

No - that would sting painfully. If you have no suitable disinfectant, just clean water is best

[@I_pirated_premium]

What breed is the hen you're working on? She's beautiful! I'm in an agricultural club and am thinking about showing chickens at fair, so I'm looking at breeds haha

[@chickensinmygarden]

I hatched her from eggs that were supposed to be purebred Araucana but I'm pretty sure she's crossed with something.

[@I_pirated_premium]

@@chickensinmygarden Aww cute! Thank you!

[@revvend]

Between 14:00 and 14:10 did you put it back again off camera or was she able to pull it back for herself?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Yes I pushed it back in again

[@erwinfilius818]

She is a good looking chook. What is she crossed with?

[@chickensinmygarden]

I didn't breed her so I don't really know. I hatched her from fertile eggs sold as Araucana. She certainly lays blue eggs.

[@DaragRennie]

We spotted a prolapse on one of our chickens today. She's a little chicken and does have soft shelled eggs. I'll go try to help her get it back in. Have had a couple of chickens (these came from the same person and may have been old) with ascites. Do you have anything to share about that?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Good luck with the prolapse. Sorry I have no experience with ascites. I hope they all get well soon

[@DaragRennie]

@@chickensinmygarden sadly she's not out of the woods yet. Will keep trying.

[@justabitodd]

this was so helpful thankyou

[@chickensinmygarden]

You're welcome. Thank you for commenting

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

"Then I suggest you go and look at some of my prettier videos, there's a really nice one, about some baby chickens falling asleep. They're so adorable." - #Iloveyourquotes :) I was told when you see poop on the egg, it means your chicken has worms. As always, such a useful video! Thank you.

[@kathyknox6423]

Would you change diet after prolapse to give break in egg laying? If so what would diet would be good to help this?

[@chickensinmygarden]

I wouldn't. Some people will reduce food, and that does cause the hen to stop laying. But it works by starving the hen! So I wouldn't do it.

[@marleneguth4293]

Great explaining, thank u, 😘

[@chickensinmygarden]

Thank you 🙂

[@angelawrence4449]

Starting to think, Chicken's maybe Royalty??

[@Teegansmammy_reborn-collector]

Why is it bad to use oil? Also does that also apply to egg bound hens?

[@chickensinmygarden]

It's just that oil is not easily absorbed by the body. And I have never had an egg-bound hen but the same would apply - use a water-soluble lubricant like KY jelly.

[@seigedrakonera5689]

I kinda feel bad, on my families homestead if one of our hens prolapse they are turned into human or dog food. We took one of our more exspenve hens Eclipse (an ayam cemani) an we could deal with the vet bill being exspensive as she was more of pet. But it happened monthly am could not afford it so she was culled. But now that I know it's possible I'll definitely give it a try.

[@chickensinmygarden]

I think it's worth a try. At least you know you have a backup plan

[@Me-gp7ud]

Have you dealt with a chicken having an oviduct egg? My 21 week girl is believed to have one, according to the vet. We are waiting and hoping for the egg to pass through but still no egg. Since starting pain meds and an antibiotic she is perky and eating grass with her only symptom no being a decreased appetite and of course no egg has come out. I'm wondering if there is anything else that can be done.

[@chickensinmygarden]

No I haven't. But it's great that you have a vet to give you advice and prescribe pain meds for the poor hen. I hope she gets well soon 🤒

[@angelinebrasier9882]

Thankyou very much!

[@chickensinmygarden]

You are very welcome 🙂

[@valeriacruz820]

Wait so if the chicken pushes the red thing again do we do leave it like that or do we have to do all that process again?

[@chickensinmygarden]

Yep, that often happens and we have to push it in again. Often she will push it out again next time she poops. But eventually, if it's not too severe, it will stay in.

[@lisamorrison1186]

Very educational, however, looks like that chicken has bumble foot

[@chickensinmygarden]

Good spotting 🙂 Yes she did.