Prolapse

Affected Anatomy: Vent
Symptoms: Protruding Flesh

Every time a hen lays an egg she pushes out the inner lining of the vent slightly; in 99% of cases this shiny red protruding flesh immediately pulls back inside the hen, in a small number of cases it doesn’t, resulting in a prolapse.

Reasons hens prolapse

Extremely large eggs which push out more inner lining than is usual .
Soft shell eggs which can cause the hen to strain hard increasing the likelihood of a prolapse.
The muscle strands in the lining become stretched, due to a hen ageing.

Symptoms

Protruding red fleshy cloacal lining, occasionally accompanied by bleeding
Trauma caused by other hens.

Causes

This can be secondary to a variety of conditions (salpingitis/impacted oviduct).
Usually caused by straining to pass an overlarge egg or soft-shelled egg.

Guidance

Note that this home remedy is not intended to offer a cure or replace veterinary treatment, but may alleviate symptoms where no professional support is easily available. The suggestions are based on experience gained with our own hens.

This is an emergency, immediately separate your hen!
Call the British Hen Welfare Trust office (open 10am–4pm Mon–Fri).
If the prolapse is walnut-sized or smaller the prolapse may resolve on its own. Spray the area with coloured antiseptic (Figure 1) and leave the hen isolated until the prolapse goes back in.
To encourage your hen to stop laying, and give the vent time to recover, remove all pellets and crumble, feeding a mixed corn diet only.

Emergency guidance for out of office hours or having no immediate access to a vet

If the prolapse is bigger than a walnut, covered in debris or bleeding, gently wash off any debris in a warm bath of antiseptic (Hibiscrub or Savlon), then spray with antiseptic.
Do not continually attempt to push the prolapse back in, this may cause the hen to strain resulting in a bigger prolapse.
Try Sudocrem, Preparation H (haemorrhoid cream) or Manuka honey to help the prolapse to shrink down.
To encourage your hen to stop laying, and give the vent time to recover, remove all pellets and crumble, feeding a mixed corn diet only.

Reasons hens prolapse

Symptoms

Causes

Guidance

Emergency guidance for out of office hours or having no immediate access to a vet

Prevention

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