How long to keep trying with repeat prolapse?

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CoriM

Crowing
Jun 6, 2019
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I have a small runner who is 9 months old. I was in the yard with her when she laid her first egg and her vent came part way out, but went back in. A couple months later she did prolapse and it was a brutal time getting it to heal. Every single time she pooped it came out and I had to put it back in and I tried everything and probably read every post on here for help. It was so traumatizing for us both, she stopped eating and I thought that was the end, but then I found that I could put a giant bandaid on her bum and it was keeping the prolapse in. She healed and it's been great, until just a few days ago when she laid her first egg in three months. It prolapsed again and this time it's also coming out with every poop and the bandaids aren't working. I can put it back in with honey to try to shrink the tissues, and it pops back out a minute later or 15 minutes later, whenever she poops. I know when spring comes and egg-laying time again it will most likely be a recurring event. I feel terrible for her - she's such a young one and it seems like such a waste to put her down. But on the other hand she's suffering every time I replace it and I just don't see how it's going to get better. Has anyone had a similar situation with a prolapse that keeps occurring with the same bird?
 
Yes. I'm more familiar with prolapse than anyone would wish. Unfortunately, the way prolapse works is each time the bird pushes and strains to lay an egg, it pushes that tissue out because the muscle tone degrades with each event. Eventually, there will be no muscle tone left to hold it in, and gravity will keep pulling it out if an egg isn't pushing it out.

You might talk to an avian vet about whether it's possible to take some tucks in it so it might have a better chance of remaining in place. The only other options are to continue to deal with it or end this ordeal now.
 
Okay, thanks so much for sharing your experience. One case I read about the vet put a stitch in her duck but she was told that if she tried to lay while stitched it might kill her. She noticed her girl was trying to lay and cut the stitch herself. That seems difficult.
 
Sorry about your girl... Depending on how much you want to spend on one chicken (and what the vet situation is in your area) you could try a suprelorin implant to stop egg laying for a year or so and see if she can rebuild some muscle tone. But the implant isn't exactly cheap and often only lasts a few months before you need a new one, and of course she may prolapse again anyway when she resumes egg laying.
 
Yeah, thanks. I read a little bit about them on BYC - doesn't seem like a real sure thing, if I could find it, and seems like it would be putting her through an ordeal each time. But I appreciate your mentioning it.
 
CoriM said:
Yeah, thanks. I read a little bit about them on BYC - doesn't seem like a real sure thing, if I could find it, and seems like it would be putting her through an ordeal each time. But I appreciate your mentioning it.
Click to expand...
I highly recommend the implants if you can find them and afford them. It takes the vet about 30 seconds to inject them, but they aren't cheap. It costs me about $500 every six months. The implants stopped my duck's eggs completely after about a week. She's like a new duck now.
 

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