My 3 year old brown leghorn hen is having this problem of egg boundness and prolapsed vent. She does not lay eggs very often any more, but has started laying again which I was surprised. Found a frozen something or other hanging out of her today and got that off, but she still has not pooped much and is straining to do so. Have fed her olive oil and also oiled the vent with olive oil. She is in doors with us today as it is 24 degrees outside in Indiana today. Any suggestions? Will she be ok? I am a rookie. Thanks, patty
Hen with prolapsed vent/egg bound
I don't know what to do about a prolapsing chicken. It sounds like you are doing everything that could be done. How is she doing?
I have treated a prolapsed vent by doing the following.
Use a glove. Smear preperation H or other similar hemeroid cream on the finger. Gently push the prolapsed part back inside.... this may take a few times to do. Keep the hen in a warm dark place, such as a dog carrier inside for a couple days to recover.
Again it sometimes takes several applications to get everything back inside to stay inside. In a pinch I have used bag balm as the lube then sprinkle the area with sugar... it makes it tighten up. Sounds odd I know but it does work.
She needs to be apart from the flock because they will pick at the protrusion and cause her to bleed, possibly to death.
For eggbound~ if oiling the vent has not helped, try giving a warm bath...it helps to relax the vent sometimes. I feed oyster shell , along with crushed egg shells, and give apple cider vinegar (the kind with the mother in it is best...from the health food store) in my hens water. The vinegar helps them absorb the calcium. Calcium deficiency is a big cause of being egg bound.
Best wishes!!
Julie