• Nigerian Dwarf Senior Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
  • Nigerian Dwarf Kids By Year
    • 2019 Goat Kids
    • 2018 Goat Kids
    • 2017 Goat Kids
    • 2016 Goat Kids

Better Hens & Gardens

of Bramblestone Farm

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Publication Credits
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart

Skills for Self-Reliance, Real Foods & Sustainable Living

  • Chickens
    • Basic Care
    • Breeds
    • All About Eggs
    • Feeding
    • Health Issues
    • Housing
  • Farm
    • Farm news
    • Help
    • Structures
    • Wild Things
  • Garden
    • Ornamentals
    • Seeds & Saving Them
    • How To Grow “X”
    • Starting Plants
    • Preparation & Tools
    • Pest Control
    • Varieties To Try
  • Goats
    • Basic Care
    • Conformation
    • Doe & Kidding Care
    • Feeding
    • Herd Basics & Behavior
    • Milk & Milking
    • Supplies & Equipment
  • Honey Bees
    • Feeding
    • Getting Started
    • Hive Management
    • Honey & Wax
  • Homemade
    • Beauty Products
    • Cleaning Supplies
    • Decorations
    • Miscellaneous
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Dish
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Vegetables
  • Pantry
    • Quality Choices
    • Canning
    • Condiments & Flavorings
    • Dairy
    • Drying
    • Freezing
    • Root Cellaring

Better Hens and Gardens may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking on links on this page. Learn More

9 Comments

Curing a Prolapsed Chicken Vent

Curing a prolapsed chicken vent is typically not as difficult as it may first appear – it often just takes Instructions for curing a prolapsed chicken vent. some time and a little attention. We’ve had several hens develop the problem and have always dealt with it the same as with our first:

One night, when I got home from work and opened the hen-house door, everyone popped out with their usual enthusiasm – except Gold Dust. She stayed huddled in a pile in the pen, and upon closer investigation, it was clear she had a problem.

Egg was stuck all over her tail feathers, and a mass of tissue was hanging from her egg vent. Pulling out Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living, we quickly determined that Gold Dust had a prolapsed vent. The Encyclopedia says:

“Prolapsed Vent. This is most likely to happen to pullets who began to lay before they were fully grown. A mass of tissue will hang from the vent. It can be fixed more easily than it looks. Wash the protruding mass with warm water and a gentle antiseptic. Lubricate it with medicated Vaseline or mastitis ointment. Then push the prolapsed mass very gently back into the vent.

Isolate the recovering hen from the rest of the flock (which might be tempted toward cannibalism). Feed her drastically reduced rations for a week to slow up the egg laying. But supply plenty of fresh greens and water. Clean her vent area each day and apply ointment. By the end of the week she will probably be fine again and able to return to the flock. Later she will begin to lay normally. If, however, she prolapses repeatedly, turn her into stew.”

Gold Dust In Solitary

So, we isolated Gold Dust from the other chickens (to prevent any cannibalism), cut back her rations so she’d quit laying, and gave her lots of greens, grapes, and water. She laid eggs for three more days, and each day we’d have to push the vent back in place – but it wasn’t as badly prolapsed as the first time. We also cleaned her up each time with warm water and applied an antiseptic ointment (Preparation H will help cut down on the swelling).

Then, she quit laying and pretty much seemed back to her normal self. After about a week of this, we removed the isolating cage and let her mingle with the other chickens again. Gold Dust’s comb changed from red to pink, indicating she wasn’t laying anymore – but about two weeks later she started producing eggs again. She produced jumbo eggs before and after the prolapse, but she never prolapsed again. So, we didn’t have to turn her into stew!

Gold Dust Recovered from Prolapse

SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Related posts:

Stopping an Egg Eating Chicken
Infectious Bronchitis in Chickens
Fall Decorations Are Natural Chicken Dewormers
895 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Health Issues

About Lesa

Lesa Wilke is a homesteader and freelance writer who loves to inspire others on their journey to more sustainable lifestyles. She accomplishes this by sharing the skills she’s learned (plus support, advice & tips) while farming goats, chickens, honeybees, and produce.

« Garden Greens for Goats & Chickens
Pasta Bolognese »

Comments

  1. Patsy Reed says

    September 24, 2022 at 12:07 am

    I have a question. one if our silver lace hens has a huge sac hanging down between her legs, almost touches the ground and is very pink. either she is egg bound or prolapse. I squeamish about trying to push that back in. any advice?

    Reply
    • Lesa says

      September 25, 2022 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Patsy, Well, you’re going to need to do something for her, and I would suggest trying to push the sac back in. Good Luck!

      Reply
  2. blippity says

    July 16, 2022 at 7:32 am

    What would your advice be for a prolapsed vent in a (very) young chick? Noticed yesterday afternoon that she had a bit of firm stool protruding and when I picked her up instead of seeing fluffy butt I could see that her vent was protruding, slightly. Coloration was fine, no infection at this point just wondering how to get that little vent pushed back in there. My plan at this point is to soak her bum in warm epsom salts, then spray with antibiotic and use a q-tip/vaseline to try to gently push i back in then isolate her and give her limited feed with coconut oil mixed in and plenty of fresh water. Any advice?

    Reply
    • Lesa says

      July 18, 2022 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Blippity, That sounds like an excellent plan to me. Since she’s a growing chick, I would be careful as to limiting her feed too much. Hope she has a speedy recovery!

      Reply
  3. Pam Murphy says

    February 15, 2022 at 8:08 am

    I have a girl with a prolapsed vent. She was in the flock for a day or so before i noticed that her behind was more than just dirty. Was hoping it would resolve itself because the last time i tried to clean a vent the chicken died within seconds of cutting a dirty feather off but nite knew i had to do something! I have been soaking her twice a day keeping it moist with spray that i got at the feed store. Using antifungal & triple antibiotic! Held her for a few hours last nite and it seemed to stay in but out again this morning! How long do i do this before seeing a vet?

    Reply
    • Lesa says

      February 15, 2022 at 3:55 pm

      Hi Pam, I would keep trying for about a week, then go see the Vet. Good Luck!

      Reply
  4. Pam Torres says

    January 18, 2021 at 1:13 am

    I’m glad Gold Dust survived, she’s a lucky birdy. My question is this: is it normal, assuming the eggs is removed without much trauma, for the chicken to service? Do you have any sort of percentage? Also, once the chicken survives the first prolapse, how common is it to have it reoccur? Again, curious about any percentages.

    Reply
    • Lesa says

      January 20, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Pam, it is quite common that the chicken will survive a prolapse, but I don’t know what the percentages are 🙂

      Reply
  5. Olawoyin says

    September 7, 2019 at 8:13 am

    Good information

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Oh, hi there! I’m Lesa,

and this blog is all about learning new skills around chickens, goats, gardens, honey bees, and DIY. Read more…

Read My Dairy Goat Books

  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201 - Getting Started Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201: Getting Started
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $6.99
  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101 Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101: Background & Basics
    Rated 4.95 out of 5
    $4.99

Visit Our Social Sites

Website Categories

The contents of this site are the property of Better Hens and Gardens. All content contained herein is copyrighted. We love it when you share, but if you do, please link back to the original post. Material included here is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, the giving of medical advice. This blogs content is for informational purposes only and Better Hens and Gardens or others associated with this site shall not be held liable for any damages incurred through the use of information provided in this blog. Better Hens and Gardens accepts products for review and other forms of paid advertising; however, although compensation received may influence the content or topics covered in this blog, it will never influence our opinion of any product. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely those of Better Hens and Gardens. Any product claim or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the manufacturer. Better Hens and Gardens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Erica Mueller Designs

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Pinterest
895 shares