Green "tube" coming out vent

[raoulsnyman]

Hi,

One of my hens (Ethel, a 7.5 month old Black Australorp) was behaving slightly off today when I let the chickens out of their run, and when I picked her up to have a look at her she seemed to have this green tube coming out of her vent. It's soft, and I tried cleaning her vent, but the tube didn't seem to come out. Pictures at the bottom of the post.

We have 6 other hens, also Australorps, all the same age. They have a coop and run which they spend the morning in, and then are let out at lunch time for the afternoon. None of the other birds are exhibiting unusual behaviour.

I checked Ethel's crop, and it is full but soft. Her comb and wattles look normal, her eyes and face look normal. She doesn't seem lethargic, but she wasn't running around with the rest of the flock like she normally does. She didn't seem very hungry today either, though she was still pecking around a bit. When I went to fetch her out of the coop late this afternoon to see about cleaning her vent, she was in the back corner, not eating the new food I had recently put out.

I did some research, and it doesn't seem like she has a prolapsed vent, and I felt around her vent to see if I could feel an egg in case she has a bound egg, but I didn't feel anything hard either.

This is my first set of chickens. I try to be informed and research, but this has me flummoxed.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

@Eggcessive @casportpony @azygous

 

[casportpony]

It sort of looks like an egg membrane. Try gently pulling it out .

 

[Aji Dulce]

Hi,

One of my hens (Ethel, a 7.5 month old Black Australorp) was behaving slightly off today when I let the chickens out of their run, and when I picked her up to have a look at her she seemed to have this green tube coming out of her vent. It's soft, and I tried cleaning her vent, but the tube didn't seem to come out. Pictures at the bottom of the post.

We have 6 other hens, also Australorps, all the same age. They have a coop and run which they spend the morning in, and then are let out at lunch time for the afternoon. None of the other birds are exhibiting unusual behaviour.

I checked Ethel's crop, and it is full but soft. Her comb and wattles look normal, her eyes and face look normal. She doesn't seem lethargic, but she wasn't running around with the rest of the flock like she normally does. She didn't seem very hungry today either, though she was still pecking around a bit. When I went to fetch her out of the coop late this afternoon to see about cleaning her vent, she was in the back corner, not eating the new food I had recently put out.

I did some research, and it doesn't seem like she has a prolapsed vent, and I felt around her vent to see if I could feel an egg in case she has a bound egg, but I didn't feel anything hard either.

This is my first set of chickens. I try to be informed and research, but this has me flummoxed.

Poor babe. I’m interested too. Following.

 

[raoulsnyman]

Thankfully she doesn't seem to be in any pain. When I cleaned her vent, she wasn't fussed at all.

Thanks @casportpony I'll give that a try.

 

[azygous]

Coincidentally, I've found just such a membrane two days running now from one of my flock. (I hope it's just one.)

Hens are known to produce all sorts of bizarre wonders from that little trap door under their tail. Some can make you scratch your head and wonder how and what and why? But most of the time, it was just a one-trick-pony, and you'll never see that particular aberration again.

And that's probably what your hen has presented to you - a one-time happening that you probably won't see again, from her, anyway.

I've chalked up the two membranes I've run across as near misses in the egg factory that is just getting up and running again after fall/winter molt and break. If it continues with your hen, it could indicate reproductive issues, but for now, I wouldn't worry about it unless she behaves lethargically tomorrow.

If it won't come out, it will likely get shoved out with her next poop. Or you could grease her with a bit of olive or coconut oil and maybe that will help slide it out.

But keep an eye on her in case this is the beginning of an infection. But I doubt it's anything serious.

 

[micstrachan]

I agree it looks like membrane, but I’m surprised she hasn’t passed it on her own. What do you feed them? It might be good to give her calcium citrate plus vitamin D (meant for humans) for a couple days. When did she start laying, and have you seen any issues before today? It’s also very possible (likely?) she is just sorting out her laying, especially if she just started.

 

[raoulsnyman]

@micstrachan I feed them Scratch and Peck organic layer, with some oyster egg shells mixed in for extra calcium. She started laying toward the end of December, and I've not seen any issues with any of my flock before today.

I'm keeping an eye on her, I'll see how things work out tomorrow. Thankfully I work from home, so I can go out and check on her periodically during the day.

Layer feed: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0068SP1XE/?tag=backy-20
Oyster shell: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UIM7N0A/?tag=backy-20

 

[micstrachan]

Awesome. You might consider keeping the oyster shell on the side, available free choice. Scratch and peck is a nice feed, but some hens willl pick out just their favorite parts, leaving themselves nutritionally deficient, despite what you provide. Some people take the fine particles and mix them into a mash, which many chickens cannot resist.

If she were mine, I would probably administer the calcium and “wait and see” for a day or two. One easy way to go give calcium is crushed into raw egg yolk. I have yet to see a hen, healthy or sick, refuse raw egg.

I think wait and see would be a totally reasonable approach, but I would be prepared to administer calcium as a back-up.

 

[raoulsnyman]

I ferment the feed, so they generally eat everything, but I have noticed on occasion that they will leave some of the oyster shell behind. I've got a small bowl from when our dogs were tiny puppies, I'll stick some oyster shell in that for them.

Thanks for the tip on administering calcium, I was wondering how to get her to eat it!