Single hen

[DanTheChickenMan]

Hello all

 

One of my chickens appears to have a major problem, wondering if you can help me identify it.

 

Has been laying well and is now sitting in the nest box....

[Beantree]

It looks pretty terrible from a distance Dan. Her bottom feathers are filthy and should have been washed clean a long time ago. It may be a prolapse as I can see red flesh in the first photo, but it could also be fly strike with that mess around her vent. She certainly needs urgent attention, starting with a clean bottom. You can also get a condition where the egg is obstructed by poo and the skin tears away with feathers, which I think is another possibility here.

Clean her up, cutting away the feathers where necessary and then post more detailed photos. Treatment can then be considered. When was she last wormed with Flubenvet? Clearly her digestive system is out of order.

[Ursula123]

I find the easiest way to clean a chicken is by using my mop bucket filled with warm water and a handful of Epsom salts, stand the chicken in the bucket and just massage  as much  of the dirt away and then cutting any feathers I can with scissors. Dry with a towel and then a blow dry with my hairdryer-which they love and sends them into a trance. After have a look at the vent area, not sure much can be done if it's a prolapse as infection may have set in with the dirty bottom. Bonne chance

[The Dogmother]

Agree with the posts above - needs cleaning up pronto and more detailed photos. If she has prolapsed and infection has set in, then (if it was my bird) the kindest thing would be to cull her. This isn't meant in a negative way, just that prolapses need immediate attention if anything at all is to be done. Any prolapse bigger than the top of your thumb is unlikely to stay in anyway; the tissue can start to die off very quickly and the other birds will peck at it too. It is likely that she may have stayed in the nest box to keep them form trying to investigate and peck her.