3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[sim]

Hi all. We've just got back from a week's holiday. My three were in their run all week because I wormed them at the same time. My great-aunt came over everyday to check on them and their food and water.

 

Noticed Iggy pecking at Flump's rear yesterday. Didn't think too much of it, but checked the net. First thing that comes up is cannibalism So that was a nasty surprise. Went back out to check on her and she was bleeding a lot from her vent, with straining with each breath (she still wheezes since her ?gapeworm episode). I rang the vet and went over right away. Though I wish they'd have told me the avian vet wasn't in The vet I did see said her abdomen seems ok, and that there's trauma there but no obvious prolapse. To me, there was definite ectropion of the vent, but I don't really know what constitutes a prolapse. The vet gave her fluids, abx and painkillers. Kept her in the garage last night. Today there's no bleeding and she looks much less raw, but still straining motions. Trouble is, I don't honestly know that she never did that anyway because of her breathing.

 

I'm off to Boots to fetch some cotton wool to have a go and cleansing the area. My question is this: is there anything else I can do for her at home?

 

Thanks for your time x

 

ETA Oh, and purple spray, I'm getting some of that when the pet shop opens. Why do they always get sick on weekends or bank holidays?

 

ETA: Definitely a prolapse.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Guest

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

Try to separate her from the flock while she heals if at all possible

 

Best of luck

[sim]

Try to separate her from the flock while she heals if at all possible

 

Best of luck

 

Thank you, she is alone currently and I'll keep her that way until she's properly healed. She's in the Eglu, the other girls are in the garden.

[sim]

Flump seems much brighter. She's quite an aloof chook anyway, but she seems back to normal. A pleasant side-effect of the Baytril is that she seems to have her voice back! She's locked inside the Eglu tonight, the others are roughing it in the run.

 

Her vent's looking much better. Still a bit of a strain, still a bit, er, farty, but not bleeding and the prolapse has returned back inside. They didn't have purple spray at the pet shop (I know, should have some anyway!) but they did have the trigger-spray version. Which is anti-peck and got a disinfectant in but is not purple. When she does eventually go back with the others, can I use Savlon...? It's yellow. I know I cab use food colouring, but I've already got Savlon

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

Well, I'd suppose. I mean, Savlon is an antiseptic, so it can only do good

[sim]

Just noticed you've had some recent chook losses. Sorry to hear that.

 

I assume Savlon's ok in the absence of food colouring and purple spray, but then again I'm not returning her to the flock until she's fully healed. So hopefully yellow is a good enough camouflage for an oven-ready bum!

[sim]

Hi again,

 

A few days after Flump went to the vets we gave her a bath. While my partner was holding her, the prolapse fell out, and it was unmistakeable. I pushed it back in and left her. I've been keeping her in the dark for as much as I can bear (which isn't as much as she should be in the dark!) and limited her food. Her vent is looking perfect right now. Clean and dry with feathers coming through again.

 

She is still sleeping separately from the others. I have been letting her with the others for a few minutes these past few days. No problems until today: I saw Iggy having a nosey at Flump's bum and had a cheeky peck of the feathers around her vent. Now, some of these feathers are still a little tarry from the anti-peck spray which we put on last week. Is she just having a look? Is, um, bum-curiosity normal behaviour? I haven't noticed it before if it is. Like I say, her vent appears fully healed. We have purple spray, but there's nothing to disguise, apart from a bit of bare-bum. We have anti peck-spray, but I'm thinking it's probably more beneficial for Flump to keep herself clean back there If it is Iggy trying to have another go, I'm not sure WHY. They all get on fine, no bullying has occurred before, and they are very quiet in their ranking decisions. Of course I COULD put the anti-peck spray on, but I wonder if it would just be masking a problem, and that Flump needs longer apart? Although she is healed?

 

I don't want to put them in together at night because I just don't know how the prolapse will cope with an egg. She's been off-lay for days.

 

Oh, and can prolapses just fix themselves...?

[Plum]

Good news that Flump is healed, you've done great

 

The trouble is the others remember that she's had tasty morsels on her vent whether it was blood or broken egg. What I would do is keep washing her bum and not put stuff on so it gets fluffy and hides her skin and keep her seperate but in same run. I assemble some panels to make a small area for isolation.

 

It would be good if you could keep her from laying a bit longer, I would keep her on growers and grit to deter laying and cover the run with an old blanket or similar to keep it darker.

 

I've had a chicken with a prolapse that was out for a week and she went on to lay normally so keep my fingers crossed for you.

[Plum]

You say her feathers are tarry from the antipeck. It may be worth observing her to check its not a discharge from the vent making her like that, an infection in the laying tract can contribute to prolapse .