Doreen

[heggis]

Hello!

My two-year-old hybrid Harriet has a prolapsed vent. I am trying to treat it but I think I'm getting it wrong.

I have separated her from the other hens, although she is still outside. I have been washing her vent with salty water and rubbing Manuka honey into the prolapse and around the vent, this is quite messy... I've also given her the odd squirt with Gentian Violet.

The prolapse is about the size of a walnut, pink and not bloody. Harriet is very happy and eating and drinking normally. She doesn't like the washing and the honey though.

I have been doing this for seven days now. Today I tried pushing the prolapse back in but it came out again after a few minutes so I left it.

My husband thinks I should leave her alone now and her body will heal itself if it can. Is he right? Is there something else I should be doing?

I am in Belgium and there aren't any vets near me who seem to know much about treating chickens (they are kept here for their eggs not for pets).

Thank you for any advice you can give me!

[Beantree]

The Manuka honey acts as a lubricant and an anti-bacterial and that's what we use. I wouldn't bother with the salt water now because it may wash the honey off. The most important thing is to push the prolapse back in and hold it there for as long as you can. This means leaving your finger in the vent for a while, moving it around to get the prolapse back into its original position. It may come out again, usually when she poos, so repeat the process. Success is most likely if the prolapse is returned quickly. I have assumed she isn't laying at the moment? If she is, the way to stop her is to feed a low protein diet of wheat only and keep her on that for several weeks. She certainly won't recover on her own. We have successfully treat one hen who was quite young and she went on to lay again and live for many years, but an older hen or one left untreated for too long may not be so lucky. 

We have had two other 'apparent prolapses' which were actually large tumours pushed out of the vent, so no cure there unfortunately.

[heggis]

Thank you so much for your reply @Beantree! And for your advice. I'm really grateful, I am really stressed out about it and it's such a relief to hear from someone who knows what they're talking about.

The prolapse came out about a week ago. That's a long time, I think. However, I will try doing as you say and holding it in.

She is on a low protein diet and I thought she'd stopped laying but then she did lay again yesterday which was a disappointment.

Anyway, I will do what I can and maybe, maybe, she will be OK. I hope so.

Thank you again!

[heggis]

Popping back briefly with a provisional update.

Harriet is doing well!

Honestly, I was losing hope. I started following @Beantree's advice after the prolapse had already been out for a week, and after a further week nothing seemed to be improving.

But then, she kept the prolapse in overnight. It popped out again and then almost immediately again, but since then - it has remained in! That's now three days.

She hasn't laid an egg yet and I suppose that's a big test. But at the moment she's skipping about very happily.

Most helpful things (I think): massaging the vent with Manuka honey and gently pushing it back in 3-4 times a day; keeping the area clean; feeding a low protein diet to reduce egg-laying.

Possible helpful things: calcium supplement; kefir; canestan (thought she might have vent gleet though this might have just been a consequence of the prolapse).

Thank you @Beantree!

Edited September 14, 2025 by heggis
Wrote the wrong word due to being a menopausal idiot

[Beantree]

Very pleased to hear that @heggis and thank you for updating. 

[heggis]

Aaannddd - back again!

With trepidation, because the very day after I posted last time, Harriet's prolapse recurred. I couldn't see any reason why it had suddenly happened after four days. It then continued to pop out for the next 24 hours, very disappointing for both Harriet and me as we went back to the honey and pushing it back in.

But then, it stayed in. Two days later, she laid an egg - and it stayed in! Since then she has been laying sporadically, and no prolapse. A few days ago I put her back with the rest of the flock and she is happy as can be.

It's all a bit of a mystery to me, I think that the honey and pushing back in helped, I also gave her lots of extra calcium as I read a calcium deficiency can be connected with prolapse. As for the rest, who knows?

Thanks again @Beantree!