URGENT - Hen problem

lanod2407

Good morning. I have a laying hen who has a very swollen back end for the past two days. Its getting dragged along the ground - any advice on what would cause this and how to resolve?

She is circa one year old

baords dyslexic

Google egg bound chicken or some such similar for more info. Then basically if the swinging trick doesn't work its fingers up the chickens bum to help it out without breaking the egg if you can, otherwise you then have to get out all the broken bits. Luckly a problem my wife deals with. Of course it mignt be a different problem but if it is once its happened it will often happen again to the same hen.

genie

She could have a prolapse or she could have an egg stuck up there. If it's a prolapse, I'd advise that you take her to a vet as it may be infected from being dragged along the ground. The vet should be able to clean the prolapse and gently push it back in.

Check and see if there's an egg stuck up there, bit of vaseline on your finger and have a gentle feel. My brother had a hen with a broken egg inside her the other day, he managed to get it out and we took her to the vet for an antibiotic injection and she is fine now. No swelling, so if it is an egg stuck in your hen, it may still be intact.

http://fowlfacts.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=afflictiondiseaseff&action=display&thread=1192

http://fowlfacts.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=afflictiondiseaseff&action=display&thread=1442

Hope this helps!

foxylock

genie wrote: »

Check and see if there's an egg stuck up there, bit of vaseline on your finger and have a gentle feel. My brother had a hen with a broken egg inside her the other day, he managed to get it out and we took her to the vet for an antibiotic injection and she is fine now. No swelling, so if it is an egg stuck in your hen, it may still be intact[/QUOTE]

Gloves for jaysus sake:D:D:D

genie

foxylock wrote: »

genie wrote: »

Check and see if there's an egg stuck up there, bit of vaseline on your finger and have a gentle feel. My brother had a hen with a broken egg inside her the other day, he managed to get it out and we took her to the vet for an antibiotic injection and she is fine now. No swelling, so if it is an egg stuck in your hen, it may still be intact[/QUOTE]

Gloves for jaysus sake:D:D:D

If you want, it's up to you, but not strictly necessary if you wash your hands thoroughly before and after.

lanod2407

Thanks for the help on this one - I went through all the steps - massage, hot water bath, held her over steam to relax her, went in with gloves and KY and couldn't find anything.
She's no worse than a few days ago, but is very, very swollen and her back-end is dragging a lot on the ground.
TBH - I'm thinking of despatching her this evening as I think it's wrong to leave here as she is if I can't provide here with effective treatment.

Ayla

I think you're right to cull her - unfortunately if it's prolapse you may help her recover once (after a few weeks of isolation and a lot of TLC) but she'll be susceptible from here on out.

We lost a duck to prolapse (she was only about a year old too), and we actually think the gander had something to do with causing the prolapse :eek:

If you have a resident male (even if it's another species) it may be worthwhile to isolate him for awhile b/c the Spring brings on excessive hormones & they can use too much force, causing injury to the ladies. Best of luck.

lanod2407

A knowledgeable neighbour said to provide more grits and to put some oil (I used olive oil) in the water ........... a week later and she's slightly better - arse is off the ground for a change, but still a good bit swollen.

Will need to isolate her this weekend to see if she's laying ..... getting the odd egg that's a bit off shape.

roran

lanod2407 wrote: »

A knowledgeable neighbour said to provide more grits and to put some oil (I used olive oil) in the water ........... a week later and she's slightly better - arse is off the ground for a change, but still a good bit swollen.

Will need to isolate her this weekend to see if she's laying ..... getting the odd egg that's a bit off shape.

I can't believe that you have left her for so long without taking her to vet or despatching her to the table (at 1 year would be a nice Sunday dinner :pac: ). But don't just do nothing!

lanod2407

roran wrote: »

I can't believe that you have left her for so long without taking her to vet or despatching her to the table (at 1 year would be a nice Sunday dinner :pac: ). But don't just do nothing!

Roran, you're somewhat off the mark with your note.
I spent weeks loking after her - massaging, hot water, applying lubricant, adding oil to her water and increasing grits in the feed.
She's now back in action and looking in great shape. So - I've done a helluva lot more than "nothing", and the time I gave her to come round has saved her neck for now.
I know there's a good chance that she may suffer a similar relapse in the coming months - but it was great to get her back into shape with a little care.

roran

lanod2407 wrote: »

Roran, you're somewhat off the mark with your note.
I spent weeks loking after her - massaging, hot water, applying lubricant, adding oil to her water and increasing grits in the feed.
She's now back in action and looking in great shape. So - I've done a helluva lot more than "nothing", and the time I gave her to come round has saved her neck for now.
I know there's a good chance that she may suffer a similar relapse in the coming months - but it was great to get her back into shape with a little care.

Hi OP, I'm sorry if you felt irked by my previous post of 'doing nothing'. I did not mean to be personal and I am sorry that you may have taken it so.

My main concern was welfare for your poor hen as my understanding of fowl is very limited, but to me it seemed that your hen should not be exposed to pain or painful conditions for longer than necessary. If you are sure that at no time your hen was in pain or discomfort, then I did not learn that from any of your postings.

Perhaps you have more understanding of the hens condition and health than that you had led me to believe?

On getting her back to great condition....well done.

Cussypat1974

well done on nursing her back to health. most people wouldn't bother as hens are cheap. if it were a pedigree dog who cost a grand, people would try harder. it says a lot about you that you care so much for her. one lucky little hen who is still alive thanks to you!
hens who prolapse (not sure if she did or not?) usually do again. You CAN get them spayed however! I know a lady who knows a lady and can get you the info if you would like to PM me about it at any stage. I think the process is by a hormonal implant if i remember correctly, and costs about 40 quid. of course, you won't get any more eggs from her, but then if she is gonna keep prolapsing, you won't anyway.
We all get sick, but the only reason to euthanise is if we are suffering uncontrollably with no hope of recovery. That is my opinion. most vets know little about hens and although i have had hens cured of various things by vets, I have found the best advice generally comes from knowledgeable, experienced keepers. I once had a hen PTS at the vets...... never again..... the best way to euthanise them is, according to research, by means of a specially designed box which crushed the skull and brain instantly. wringing necks and beheading causes suffering, as does the vets injection (to my utter dismay with poor Fatty hen). the box hasn't taken off though, as people are too squeamish...... i found all this out AFTER having fatty PTS at vets, and expecting it to be like a cat/dog. It wasn't and I do not recommend it, for the sake of the hen.

lanod2407

Cussypat1974 wrote: »

the best way to euthanise them is, according to research, by means of a specially designed box which crushed the skull and brain instantly.

Thanks cussypat - where can one get the box that you referred to?

Cussypat1974

I don't think you can! It was the result of research done somewhere, and relayed to me by Pete the Vet (TV3). the point is that this is the "kindest" way, but it is also pretty horrible to our human tastes, so will never take off. I have no idea if the box is available to buy but I doubt it. Pete the Vet is on Facebook though, so he would prob be the best man to ask. I no longer keep hens. Broke foot so had to rehome my girls. I plan to again though! an utter source of joy!

Ayla

Cussypat1974 wrote: »

It was the result of research done somewhere, and relayed to me by Pete the Vet (TV3). ...

Cussypat1974 wrote: »

..... the best way to euthanise them is, according to research, by means of a specially designed box which crushed the skull and brain instantly. wringing necks and beheading causes suffering, as does the vets injection ....

Could you please cite this research? If you can't provide a specific link then I think it's pretty disingenuous to mention it...there are all sorts of "studies" done out there but not all of them should be respected as genuine research.

Sorry, I know this is off-topic, but I would honestly disagree with this "research"...snapping the neck is instantaneous & if you pick the hen up while they're walking around & snap their neck as you're picking them up then they have absolutely no idea what's happening & they die before they're 2 feet off the ground. Much better, IMO, then the fear they prob experience in that 10 seconds it takes to be stuffed into a box.

Cussypat1974

as I said, you can contact pete the vet on Facebook. ask him as he is the vet and he will be able to explain it properly. all I know from experience is that PTS at vets is great for cats and dogs (they go peacefully) but NOT for hens. I mailed Pete about it very upset and he told me about this method. it makes sense to me though...... and you have no way of knowing if neck breaking or chopping heads is less painful unless you have undergone the process yourself. it makes sense to me that an instant slam is quicker....... if the brain is instant pulp we feel nothing right? But I'd agree that beheading is better than what happened at the vets......... that was horrible...... poor Emily.......