Poorly chicken

[Egluntyne]

Adele Hall, Lancashire co-ordinator at the British Hen Welfare Trust http://www.bhwt.org.uk has provided the following guidelines which have worked for her.

 

This treatment is intended for prolapses that have just occurred and

there is no sign of infection (blackening or discharge in the prolapse

area) and the hen is otherwise eating and drinking normally.

 

Please note:

It does not replace the advice of a good vet and some prolapses may still need a

stitch inserting by a qualified vet if they do not stay in or the owner

is not confident trying this method. The treatment requires a lot of

monitoring and care and is not intended for owners who have to leave

their hens for long periods of time e.g. if they go out to work all day.

 

First of all - try and take her off lay - just give her mixed corn,

ensure she has plenty of water and take her off pellets/mash. Put her in

a dark place to discourage her from trying to lay too.

 

The prolapse may well stay in without the bandage after the first

insertion below (suggest try around 3 times before going to the bandage

stage) so give her a period of ten minutes or so between attempts to see

if the prolapse stays in place.

 

Attached is a photo of what turned out to be the very successful cure

for Hermione in early 2009 who, in April 2010 is still running around my

garden. It is not pretty (haemorroid cream etc showing) but I made a

sling from self adhesive stretchy horse bandage (although ordinary

stretchy bandage with a safety pin to secure the two ends would do too)

with a small horizontal slit big enough for her droppings to go through

but it held in the cleaned up prolapse. I first of all very gently

pushed the prolapse back inside the hen using the flat of a gloved

finger smeared with haemorroid cream, gently but continually pushingagainst the prolapse.

 

Be VERY VERY gentle – she will try and help you

when she realises what you are doing. Once the prolapse has gone back

inside the hen, the sling is wrapped around her bottom, with the pre-cut

slit against her vent and then taken under her wings and tied around her

neck (IMPORTANT - not too tight or you may cut off her blood supply -

you are just looking for light support). The hen obviously hated it and

I took it off her for respites every couple of hours and put more cream

in and around her vent area - especially if she still insists on laying

which Hermione did - but it worked after about a week or so of intensive

care.

 

[Snowy]

Link to further information re treating prolapse:

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=87227&view=unread#unread