Okay, so I just went to check up on the chickens before I went to bed, and now I'm terrified. One of the hens was sitting in the temporary nest box I set up for them, and there was a bit of fluid sitting on the cardboard on the border of the nest box right outside where the grass is placed (urates? There were two eggs, but no broken eggshells, it couldn't have been a broken egg.). I picked her up and set her on the ground just to see what was up, and she was relatively unresponsive. Kind of slow to react to me. Upon closer examination, I found a white, cord like structure near the vent area, and she obviously hadn't been keeping herself clean (dried feces around the feathers.) I've only seen something like this one other time, but I'm starting to fear it's a prolapse? I'm not very good at this, but I was a thorough as I could be without hurting her, and that's what I think I saw. No fucking clue what that cord like structure was, but I didn't mess with it. I'm completely terrified, this is exactly how two of our guinea fowl died. What do I do? I don't want to lose her. Nothing's gotten into the chicken coop today, and the other hen is fine. They weren't attacked.
I'm not very well versed in avian anatomy, I'm fucking scared man.
>It looks like meat is back on the menu, boys!
Yeah, you might want to consider ending it all and getting some good meat out of it. Sorry 'bout that, girl.
>>2132213
So what, there's nothing I can do? Are you confirming that it's her insides coming out? I don't even know what could have happened, she's been calm and relaxed since I brought her home from a friends a few weeks ago, only got into a few scuffles with my other chickens.
Is there really nothing I can do?
>>2132214
Generally with farm animals, it's my opinion that pointless medical bills and suffering can be eliminated if they're good for being slaughtered at that time.
But yeah, sounds like prolapse and I don't know if there's much to be done for that. Tell your friend they sold you a defective chicken, I guess.
>>2132215
She was given to me because a raccoon killed all of my friends other chickens, and these two were the only survivors. We just wanted them out of that house, they would have been dead within days if we didn't.
Also, I've looked up pictures of prolapses, and most of them appear larger and more bloody. I really have no idea what this could be, but I'm just going to make her comfortable until I get further instruction from my boss (just texted him btw, he knows pretty much everything about chickens.)
>>2132211
I've never seen a prolapse that looked anything cordlike. Maybe she ate some twine or string and it is tangled in her digestive tract? I recommend cutting it off as close to her vent as you can, whatever it is, so it doesn't get pecked at or pulled on. Don't pull on it.
>>2132238
maybe "cord like" wasn't that accurate, what do you make of this picture? shes sleeping upstairs in a box at the moment.
>>2132280
Shitty picture, but that really looks to me like a soft egg that has broken and hasn't come out the rest of the way.
The egg formation process in the hen's oviduct is sometimes interrupted for some reason and the hard outer layer of shell doesn't get applied. The resulting soft-shelled egg is difficult for the hen to expel because the muscles that contract against the egg to force it down the oviduct just kind of squish the egg rather than move it along, because the egg doesn't have enough resistance. The egg sometimes gets broken in the process of being laid, making a big sticky mess.
I don't know what the rigid, curving, spaghetti-looking thing is, below it, though. Is that a piece of straw or nesting material that is stuck to the hen?
You need to soak the hen in warm water. Get a Rubbermaid storage container or something similar, put enough warm water in the bottom for the hen to lay in. Make sure she is not so weak/water so deep that her head is going to flop down and drown her. Put a towel over the top, to keep it dark inside so she will hold still and soak.
The warm water will have two effects: 1.) help loosen the broken egg and the mess off her and 2.) help relax the muscles that are likely still trying to force the broken egg the rest of the way out
Have you ever seen a shell-less or soft-shelled egg before? Examine the protrusion with "egg membrane" in your brain and see if it might be that. Soft-shelled eggs come in various hardnesses. Some are entirely shell-less, some have a bit of a chalky coating.
The hen might be egg-bound with another soft-shelled egg stuck farther up. Also, sometimes after they have been egg-bound, a hen might have a bit of leg paralysis that is usually temporary.
>>2132547
Sometimes it's that but sometimes it's just a defect of that particular hen.
One thing I have had success with, though, is giving a dose of oral liquid calcium to that hen. It's an immediate short-term remedy, though, not a long-term solution. Calcium gluconate - you can get it at most of the feed stores I've been to. It's sold as an injectable (I think a 23% solution for cows and goats and sheep) but go ahead and give 3mL ORALLY twice a day until she passes the soft-shelled egg(s) and will stand/walk again.
What's your current calcium feeding plan, OP?
Also, if you've never given liquid orally to a chicken before, Google it. You don't want to get it in the chicken's lungs. If you're inexperienced, just drip it one drop at a time into the corner of her mouth. Don't squirt it down her gullet.
>>2132554
>>2132547
I give them crushed oyster shells as a source of calcium, never encountered this problem before.
So it did turn out to be a calcium deficiency. She was egg bound, but the egg didn't form with a hard shell. It was as easy as pulling it out, she's fine now. I'm going to play it safe and keep her inside for a couple more days.
>>2132554
She stood up when I put her back in the carrier, but she doesn't have much room to walk at the moment. I think I got all the debris out of the vent area, a mound of soft shelled egg lying in my sink.
>>2132539
That's just a twig that was stuck in her feathers.
>>2132815
Exercise is pretty important to help keep eggs moving along properly. I wouldn't keep her confined, OP. Put her back out and if she seems "off", then bring her in again. Glad she seems better! Did you soak/wash off all the broken egg from her feathers?
>>213328
I soaked her in warm water like you said, and most of the smaller debris was washed away. There were a few pieces that I had to pick away with a gloved hand that were stuck on the outside, but she's alright now. She's always had trouble keeping herself clean, even before she had this problem apparently. I'm considering trimming her feathers later today so they don't get coated in shit. Thanks for the advice Anon.
