Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: littlewitch on February 16, 2010, 08:14
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To all of you who kindly took time to try & help us with poor 'Maggie' Thank you for taking the trouble - unfortunately on checking her first thing this morning she's in a worse way and we're having to 'be cruel to be kind' as she's now bleeding from it.
This would happen now when OH is two days from going back into hospital for his second total knee replacement - so its better to sort it now.
Poor girl - she was one of his favourites as she would always let him stroke her and pick her up and was a right little bossy boots.
Thank you all, once again,
from Carol & Jeff
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so sorry Carol and Jeff, huge hugs from me xxx
Oh and good luck with the op Jeff.
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Sorry to hear that. We regret trying to keep on with treatment too long and maybe causing suffering to one of ours, so you're right to put an end to it.
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So sorry to hear the sad news :(
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Aww sorry to hear about ur wee hen......better not to let them suffer u did the right thing. Big hug!
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So sorry but you did everything that you could.
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Just seen your sad post littlewitch and have to agree with others it's a difficult condition to treat without some surgical intervention. I've never had any success with Prep H and replacing the proplapse repeatedly. You've done the wise thing.
For anyone reading this for the future you definitely stand a better chance if you catch it early and she's a new layer. Prep H haemeroid gel soothes the soreness which reduces the swelling and lubricates. That's the theory but the problem is keeping the prolapse in place long enough for it to heal. The anal duct can also prolapse too, not just the (egg) oviduct, which resuts in rear end fouling so keeping it clean is a challenge. In some cases I've heard of vets being able to apply a sucture (stitch) to hold the prolapsed tissue in place but you need a poultry competant vet and as it's semi surgical the cost will be high. The following link explains in very basic detail the observable process of an egg actually emerging from a hen, A prolapse occurs when the end portion of the oviduct which protects the egg and seals it's passage out of the vent is torn and fails to retract back into the hens body. New layers or those disposed to double yolking are more susceptible. http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm
Best wishes
HF
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I'm sorry to hear about your hen, but just to give others some hope, my little scots dumpy had a prolapse after her first egg on Saturday and after following the advice given here (anusol rather than preparation H) she's looking good. I really thought she'd be suffering the same fate as Maggie but she's perked up, eating and drinking and the prolapse has disapeared.
Fingers crossed. It just goes to show that anything's worth trying.
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So sorry about your hen :(
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To Marygall, you seem to have been very fortunate with your chook, good luck to her & hope it doesn't recur. Our Maggie was almost 1 year old and for last couple weeks had been laying some pretty large eggs, so it almost seemed inevitable (unfortunately).
to anyone else having to face the same procedure the article by 'muntjac' on here was extremely helpful & whilst not looking forward to having to do 'the deed' OH read it, along with our book on keeping chooks, & between the 2 felt more confident about it - she really had gone downhill fast overnite, so was best done 'quickly'.
Once again, thank you for all your sympathy & kind thoughts.
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I've checked the articles pages and can't find the one by Muntjac, could you remember what it was under so that I can do a search?
My hen's still fine and looking better on a daily basis, though I'm worried about the next egg, which is yet to appear, so belt and braces...
You're very brave to do the humane despatching - I need to learn how to do this just in case but I'm a bit scared.
I fully understand that there are times when nothing works, it's happened to me before and I'd to be prepared. The article on this subject with pictures was informative but the bit about flapping was alarming.
Here's hoping I don't have to worry about this for a long time.
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Is this the one?
http://www.poultry.allotment-garden.org/Chicken_a/killing-chicken-meat.php
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Morning beulah59, yes that is the one. In the book we have (reprinted WWII Penguin Handbook - 'keeping poultry & rabbits on scraps) it tells you how but does not show in pictures, which 'muntjac's' page does.
I just wish the info on 'prolapse chicken' in the stickies was more informative, although a fairly recent posting from a lady in Scotland complete with pics ( sorry but at this moment can't for the life of me remember the correct entry), did prove more helpful. Hopefully one of our 'moderators' could substitute that to the stickies section as it was much more use.
Hope this helps you, best regards, carol
PS - just checked - if you look at my original post 'chicken with prolapse?' you will see the entry from (I believe) Lynda T of Argyllshire about her chook with prolapse, she's the one that posted the pics etc.