Prolapse chicken can turn out to be an unforgettable experience, which scared and stressed me. Clucky, my prolapse layer, had an egg stuck in her.

To describe it, Clucky had an egg stuck inside her when the prolapse happened. I wanted to help my hen as soon as possible but feared hurting her. Eventually, I put on clean elastic gloves and tried to help her pass the egg out, but the egg got broken in the process. That’s when I called the vet.

What causes a prolapse chicken? Prolapse chicken is caused by the fat buildup in the chicken’s abdominal area, making it difficult for hens to lay eggs. This condition usually happens when a young hen lays a large egg or when the chicken has prolapse strains while laying an egg. Other reasons behind chicken vent prolapse are obesity or diet deficiency and when chickens hold their droppings for a long time. 

A hen’s prolapsed vent is also called blow-out, cloacal prolapse, prolapsed oviduct, or pick-out. If not treated immediately, chicken prolapse can be dangerous and deadly to layers due to potential infection and injuries that might happen to their oviducts. 

Although they can recover, they’re more likely to prolapse again in the future. Let’s learn more about this condition below. 

What Does Prolapse Chicken Vent Look Like?

A hen with a prolapse chicken looks like its insides are coming out of its vent. Usually, prolapsed chickens have red shiny flesh that sticks out from their bottom area. The flesh is actually the chicken’s oviduct that turned inside out when it laid an egg. In a chicken prolapse, the oviduct doesn’t return to its original place, which is dangerous for the layer’s overall health.

Prolapsed layers will naturally lose their appetite because of the pain caused by the condition. Blood stains may also appear on the chickens’ rump feathers. Eventually, hens will isolate themselves and act lethargic.

Identifying Healthy Chicken Vent Vs. Prolapsed Vent 

A healthy chicken vent looks dry and clean. There should be no blood or any discharge coming out from the chicken vents. If a hen is laying an egg, the chicken’s bottom will look like a coin slot. If not, the chicken vent will look more circular. 

Meanwhile, a prolapsed chicken vent usually has blood and abnormal discharge. When a prolapsed hen lays an egg, the chicken’s shiny red flesh will come out but won’t return to its original place.

Prolapse Chicken Symptoms To Look For

Prolapse chicken is a common condition that usually happens during peak egg production. Any chicken are at risk of having a prolapsed chicken vent, and owners can be easily misguided if they don’t know the real chicken prolapse symptoms. Once you see all these signs from your chickens, make sure to immediately contact a veterinarian. 

Prolapse Chicken Has a Lack of Appetite and is Dehydrated 

Chickens may immediately feel a lack of appetite and dehydration once they have prolapsed chicken vents. A prolapse chicken battle pain every day. The lack of appetite is a main concern because the chicken will have reduced growth and general weakness throughout its experience. Eventually, the chicken will also lose weight and may suffer from dehydration because of the situation. 

Hens With Chicken Prolapsed Vent Will Feel Lethargic 

A lethargic chicken is one of the signs of prolapsed chicken. Because chickens with prolapsed vents don’t eat and drink that much, they feel lethargic and lack energy. 

Lethargy is a common symptom of the chicken prolapsed vent and should not be mistaken as normal since chickens like to be very social. This is also one of the reasons chickens tend to withdraw from their flock to make sure that other chickens won’t see their weakness. 

Prolapse Chicken Has Bloodstained Eggshells

Among the earliest signs of a prolapse chicken is the bloodstained eggshells. Some blood vessels might have been ruptured from pecking or strain due to the chicken prolapse, thereby leading to bloodstained eggshells. 

To clarify, the presence of blood spots when a hen lays an egg is normal and benign for the chicken and the egg. This can happen when there are sudden changes in their environment. 

Hens With Chicken Prolapse Tend to Withdraw From The Flock

A prolapsed chicken will withdraw from her flock to protect herself while in pain. Inside a coop, other members of the flock might decide to attack the hen due to her injury since it portrays weakness. It’s also the best decision since other chickens might peck the hen’s prolapsed area, making it worse. Therefore, she needs to isolate herself from other chickens. 

Can A Chicken Lay An Egg With a Prolapsed Vent?  

A prolapse chicken can still lay an egg, but not as many as a normal hen. A hen with chicken prolapse shouldn’t be immediately laying an egg after being treated with the condition. The chicken needs rest and time before it can lay an egg. However, once it does, the chicken will most likely suffer from chicken prolapse again. 

How Do You Remove an Egg From a Prolapse Chicken?

If you have an egg-bound chicken, you’ll need to make sure not to injure your chicken while getting the egg out. At the same time, the chicken egg shouldn’t crack inside your hen (although she may release the shells eventually) because it’ll open her body to bacteria like E. Coli and may affect her internal parts. 

How Do You Fix A Prolapsed Vent and Egg-Bound Chicken? 

To fix your prolapsed egg-bound chicken, put KY Jelly or a lubricant (don’t use olive oil) on the chicken vent to help the egg to slide out easier. Avoid pressing the hen’s stomach so that you don’t break, or further break, the egg. 

Put electrolytes in your chicken’s water to boost her immune system. Keep the egg-bound chicken isolated and away from the rest of the flock in a small area that won’t cause her stress. 

If your hen hasn’t been able to push out the egg within five to six hours, you’ll need to help her get it out. Touch the midsection to track down the area of the egg. Make sure to be delicate! I repeat, be delicate! 

Assuming this measure doesn’t work out. Check if you can see the tip of the egg, and suck out the content of the egg. This means you need to break the shell from the egg bound chicken and remove it gently from the chicken’s vent. If, at any point, you can see that the shell has broken, don’t wait to help her. 

By using a needle and a syringe, bring the contents of the egg into the needle. After that, delicately break the egg with your focus on the internal layer. The internal layer is the part that helps with keeping the parts of the eggshells together. Try your best to hold the broken shell together. If all the pieces don’t come out, they will pass alongside the excess egg content later.

How to Treat an Egg-bound Chicken: 

• Get a lubricant like KY jelly
• Don’t press the hen’s stomach area
• Provide enough vitamins and electrolytes in the chicken’s water
• Put the hen in a crate in a dim and calm room
• Push the egg manually
• Get somebody to hold the hen carefully
• Slowly remove the egg
• Wait for the hen to poop the excess egg content

How To Treat Prolapse In Hens

Prolapse is one of the most severe reasons hens lay bloody eggs. Hens with untreated prolapse will usually die. Even when hens are promptly treated, there is still a good chance they may die as prolapse is a sign of internal stress and deteriorating health. 

Treating prolapse takes many steps and diligent care of your hens. To treat prolapse, do the following: 

1. Immediately separate the injured hen from all other hens and roosters 
2. Wash the prolapsed area with warm water with an antiseptic in it. 
3. Check the prolapse for an unlaid egg. Do this gently. If you find an egg, then gently remove it from the prolapse. Be careful not to break the egg. If it breaks, make sure you remove all the shells and yolk from inside. 
4. Gently tuck the hen’s head under your arm and with clean hands or gloves, gently tuck the prolapse back inside the vent area. You can also use a clean cloth. 
5. If the prolapse seems swollen, You can apply a hemorrhoid cream to help the prolapse shrink. This will allow it to go back inside the vent easier.  
6. You don’t want her to lay any eggs for several days. Put the hen in a darkened room or shed. Feed her water, but don’t feed her any food for 24 hours. This will hopefully keep her from laying an egg the next day. 
7. For the next week, feed her reduced food. Do not feed her any layer food as you need to give her time to recover and for the prolapse to heal.
8. If she gets another prolapse soon afterward, seek a vet’s care or repeat these steps.

The more often a hen gets prolapses, the less likely she is to survive. Prolapse can introduce infection to your hen and cause death. However, more often, it is a sign that her body is wearing out.

Prolapse Chicken How Did My Chicken Get a Prolapsed Vent? 

Prolapse chicken happens once hens lay large eggs or are too early to have laid eggs, hold their droppings for too long, are obese or underweight, or are diet-deficient. Chicken owners must understand that many things can trigger a prolapsed vent. Most of these causes can be prevented if the chicken is well-treated by their owners. 

Prolapse Chicken Happens Once Chickens Lay Large Eggs 

When hens lay large eggs, their vents can strain too much, causing a prolapse chicken vent. Laying eggs is one of the most common causes of a prolapsed vent because a chicken’s reproductive tract turns inside out and returns to its shape after the eggs are cleanly laid. 

There’s nothing to worry about when the oviduct turns inside out since it’s normal for chickens. However, it’s dangerous when the organ doesn’t retract — that’s the chicken prolapse. 

Young Hens Are More At Risk of Chicken Prolapse 

Younger hens have a higher risk of having prolapsed vents because they’re still underdeveloped. Thus, their chicken vents are not yet ready to lay an egg, which may also cause tension in their anus area. 

Commonly, hens should begin laying eggs at 18-22 weeks old. But it also depends on the chicken breed. It’s better to ask your veterinarian before you let your chickens produce eggs. 

Prolapse Chicken Vent Occurs If Chickens Are Obese or Underweight

Obese or underweight chickens are more at risk of becoming prolapse chicken. This is because a hen will possibly strain her anus and be unable to rise as she lays an egg. 

As a good poultry farmer, you should control your hen’s diet and make room for them to exercise in the coop. At the same time, you should also feed them high-quality food in order to reach their right body capacity. 

Prolapse Chicken Happens Once They’re Diet Deficient 

Calcium deficiency impedes the egg-laying process and may result in chicken prolapse. This may happen due to unbalanced feed rations when making up your chicken’s diet. The risk of prolapse can also be heightened by giving your chicken junk foods and unhealthy treats but averted by a complete feed that contains all nutrients instead.

Chickens With Prolapsed Vents Hold Droppings For A Long Time

Turns out that chickens that hold their droppings for a long period can result in a prolapsed vent condition. This happens as the cloaca (where intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts are found) is stressed and overstretched. Take note of each of your chickens and be aware of their behaviors to prevent a prolapse from happening. 

Can a Chicken Prolapsed Vent Be Cured? 

Prolapsed chicken vents can be cured naturally by applying organic honey to the vent to reduce swelling. You can also push the prolapse tenderly into the vent time after time. Lastly, the diet should be considered when treating a prolapsed chicken. 

By doing this, you’ll ensure that your chicken won’t strain too much when they’re taking a poop, which can cause the prolapse to worsen. 

5 Prolapse Chicken Best Treatments: How to Cure Prolapse? 

Can you treat a chicken prolapsed vent? Yes! But you to treat a chicken prolapsed vent, you need lubricant and electrolytes while keeping the prolapsed hen protected and safe from other chickens. Chickens can die from prolapse due to extreme shock and blood loss. The best thing you can do is euthanize the chicken once the prolapse worsens. 

1. Use A Lubricant to Slide Chicken Egg Easily During Prolapse

You can use a lubricant, such as Ky Jelly, on the vent to help the egg to slide out easier. Make sure to avoid pressing the hen’s stomach so that you don’t break, or further break, the egg. Some might say putting olive oil is a good choice, but I don’t recommend it because it can become rancid. 

2. Give Prolapse Chicken Electrolytes to Avoid Dehydration

You can give your hen electrolytes to boost her immune system when prolapsed. Put enough vitamins in her water, and try your best to make her drink, but don’t compel her if she’s not willing to. Remember, dehydration is one of the symptoms of chicken prolapse, so make sure to keep her fluids consistent. 

3. Keep Prolapse Chicken Isolated In Dim, Small Area

Try to keep your hen isolated, away from the rest of the flock, as far as possible. You can put her in a small area that won’t cause her stress. It’s recommended to have her on a crate that’s dim and calm. It’s too dangerous for your hen to be on an overcrowded coop because other chickens might peck her prolapsed area. 

4. Don’t Press The Hen’s Abdomen Once It Has Prolapsed Vent

A wrecked eggshell can take the prolapsed hen to her early grave, so do not press the hen’s abdomen. In general, there’s no effective treatment for chicken prolapse, but you must take time to allow your chicken to release the egg as naturally as possible. If the egg hasn’t been pushed out within five to six hours, see option number five. 

5. Help the Prolapse Chicken to Push The Egg Out 

If your hen hasn’t been able to push out the egg after five to six hours, you’ll now need to help her get it out. If, at any point, you can see that the shell has broken, don’t wait to help her. Make sure that you get all the pieces out so the remaining pieces won’t cause additional damage. 

Get somebody to hold the hen carefully. Then using a needle and a syringe, bring the contents of the egg into the needle to discard. After that, delicately break the egg with your focus on the internal layer. The internal layer is the part that helps with keeping the parts of the eggshells together.

Finally, delicately remove the egg. Try your best to hold the broken shell together. Most of the time, they’ll eventually pass the excess egg content.

How Do You Get a Prolapse to Stay in a Chicken?

The best thing you can do with a prolapsed chicken vent is to immediately contact a veterinarian. 

I immediately called a veterinarian after I cracked Clucky’s egg while she was prolapsed. The doctor removed every bit of shell that was in the vent. He also explained that failure to do that might prompt an abdominal infection. 

He put Clucky under his arm and cleaned her butt thoroughly. He also tucked her head in so she couldn’t look around. I later learned that he did this to help her stay calm. Then, he gently applied organic honey and pushed the prolapse into the vent with clean hands. 

The prolapse kept on popping out at first, but later on, it stayed inside for a while. I was told to do the same thing every day till she was okay. 

Why does my chicken keep pushing the chicken prolapse out? Your chicken will most likely push the prolapse out because she thinks she’s still laying an egg. Don’t let your chicken do this, or else she might lose more blood. Instead, try your best to calm your hen, and gently wash the flesh with warm water and a mild antiseptic.  

What if my chicken’s prolapse won’t stay in? If your chicken’s prolapsed vent won’t stay in, continue to keep her calm and isolated from the flock. Regularly wash the prolapse with warm water and gently reinsert it into her vent. After a couple of days of pushing the prolapse into your chicken, it should start to stay inside her. Patience and persistence is the key. If it does not, she will likely face complications from the prolapse.

Can You Push a Chicken Prolapsed Vent Back Into Place? 

Pushing a prolapse chicken back into place isn’t helpful for the chicken. This can cause the tissue to tear and cause internal bleeding and injuries. By doing this, you could also risk the chicken with pathogenic bacteria. Some may roughly push the prolapsed tissue back into the chicken’s vent due to impatience. 

A friend of mine started up poultry a few months back. As fate would have it, one of her hens developed a prolapse. She applied too much pressure when pushing on her prolapsed chicken’s butt, and as if that wasn’t enough, she also tried to cut some tail feathers stuck with dried poop on the prolapse.

She thought she was trying to help her prolapsed chicken, but she only worsened the case. Her chicken died in the process.

Can A Prolapse Chicken Survive?

A prolapsed chicken can survive if the condition is detected on time and treated in the early stages. A chicken cannot live with a prolapsed vent forever. If the other hens have pecked on the prolapse and made it worse, then there’s a slim chance of recovery. This can be likened to the troubles of having an injury with complications. 

Make sure to follow the correct steps in treating a chicken prolapse condition, and don’t use anything like olive oil that may cause more harm.

Can A Chicken Prolapse Vent Fix Itself?

The chicken prolapse can shrink and fix itself. However, for this to happen, your hen needs to be isolated, kept inactive, and given regular attention. 

Your prolapsed hen may seem more uncomfortable and unhappy when you try to fix the prolapsed vent, and you may not want to keep hurting her. After suffering from the condition, you may also return the hen to her flock. 

In addition, there’s this common debate concerning the use of Phenylephrine to treat prolapse in chickens. Phenylephrine, commonly known as Prep H, is believed to help hemorrhoids, but prolapse tissues are not hemorrhoids. They’re the insides of your hen. 

When you apply Prep H to a prolapse, it shrinks the blood vessels of the chicken’s tissues but doesn’t shrink the prolapse. It also hinders blood circulation, which delays recovery because the blood carries nutrients that help speed recovery.     

Treating Prolapsed Vent Without Phenylephrine

Don’t stress your hen’s tissues by either pushing or straining: Egg-laying strains your hen’s tissues, so you have to stop the laying process by keeping your hen in pitch dark and quiet. 

Reduce the feed component to a mere maintenance ration:: This will ensure there’s no additional nutrient that will enhance egg-laying. 

Clean the hen: Start with her backside, then dry her and put her in a warm crate. Keep the crate in a warm room. 

Provide ventilation and warmth: Warmth is one of the great healers for birds, as they have very high metabolisms. Make sure your chicken is in a warm area and keep it well-ventilated.

Separate hen: This will help prevent problems that arise from pecking orders. These problems may arise because the other hens will not recognize a hen that has been gone for long. She will be the center of attraction for pecking, and that’s not what a prolapsed hen needs.

Isolation period shouldn’t exceed three days: After three days, you have to put the hen on the roost after everyone has slept. She would have recovered to an extent by then. If you do this, she can awaken with the other hens.

Check on the hen two or three times a day: Turn on the light for about 15 to 30 minutes and check her two or three times a day so she can see to eat and drink. Get rid of any poop and freshen up her water each time. You can massage or give her attention before returning her to other chickens.

Use all-natural herbal first aid: Apply some first aid ointment to your prolapsed chicken to speed her natural healing process. From my studies and in-depth research, these herbs and weeds are non-toxic. They’re superb for healing wounds and keep skin tissues soft while they heal. You could introduce it to enhance the speedy natural healing process for your prolapsed chicken. 

Prolapse Chicken Prevention Methods

To prevent chicken prolapse, take time to consider the needs of your chickens. Give them enough food and nutrients, track their poop schedule and fix it once there’s an issue, and don’t let young hens lay eggs. Having a tracker with schedules for all your animals is a helpful way to know which ones need more attention and proper care. 

Prolapse Chicken FAQs

Prolapse chicken is a common condition, but it can kill your hens if left untreated. Take note of all the information you can get about prolapsed chickens and how to prevent your coop from getting it. 

Why Is There Blood Coming Out Of My Chicken’s Vent? 

More often than not, a prolapsed chicken might end up with a bleeding vent. The chicken’s vent is the rear “butt” area. Cannibalism or bullying is most likely the cause of the bleeding vent in a prolapsed chicken. When other hens peck and peck at the prolapsed area, it may bleed. This could result in a chicken infection or death if not well managed. 

Another cause of the bleeding vent includes the rupture of blood vessels in hens when laying very large eggs. Young hens that start laying earlier than usual may experience prolapse because their vent isn’t elastic yet. 

What Do You Feed A Prolapse Chicken?

For the first 24 hours, give the hen with prolapsed chicken vent vitamins and electrolytes mixed with water to strengthen her. After that, add some leafy greens to boost her immunity. Feed the prolapsed hen with a mixed corn diet free from pellets two or three days later. This helps inhibit egg-laying. 

You could also give chopped hard-boiled eggs blended in with a little cod liver oil and vitamin E. This will help provide protein to recover while helping your hen fight infection. Yogurt will also help her fight off bad bacteria. 

Can A Baby Chick Have a Prolapsed Vent? 

The prolapsed vent may happen in chicks when they’re strained too much or squished in a coop. It’s important to monitor all your chicks in a coop and make sure no one gets hurt by other chicks. Also, cleaning a chick’s vent without proper care can also result in a prolapsed vent. 

What Is The Difference Between Vent Gleet and Prolapse Chicken?

Both vent gleet and prolapse chicken may show a discharge, but the vent gleet will stink pungently. Vent gleet is bacterial and treated accordingly, while prolapse is treated as an injury. 

Both vent gleet and prolapse may look similar in appearance, but they’re very different. With both vent gleet and prolapse, the hen’s rump will be red, and you will notice a discharge. But, while prolapse is the inverted vent showing outside the bottom, vent gleet is an infection. 

Conclusion

Prolapse chicken, when left unnoticed and untreated, can endanger a hen’s life. It’s important to stay proactive when caring for your poultry to avoid further complications in conditions like this.

Luckily, I was able to contact a vet in time for him to make the necessary treatment Clucky needed. The vet was quick to take action as he removed the broken eggshells from my previous attempt to help my hen.

During recovery, I did as the vet advised. I adjusted her diet, applied organic honey, and gently pushed her prolapsed tissues into the vent for the next 2 to 3 days. With consistent care, Clucky was able to recover from chicken prolapse. 

Resources Mentioned In This Article

These resources are items I regularly use in caring for my hens. 

The Manna Pro Oyster Shells on Amazon are a great product. Oyster shells last a while. I was surprised by how long they last. The girls only need a little a day to stay healthy and have strong eggshells. 

Hemorrhoid Cream: Any hemorrhoid cream will help with prolapse, but I’ve often used Preparation H. 

Miracle Care Kwik Stop Styptic Solution: Kwik Stop is a powder that helps stop bleeding quickly. It is formulated for pets, including birds. It’s helpful to stop bleeding of wounds and help your chickens heal quicker. You can find Miracle Care Kwik Stop here on Amazon. 

Lincoln Purple Spray: Purple spray turns a red or bloody area purple so that bullies in a flock stop pecking at the wounded area. It will help your hens to heal faster because it can heal undisturbed. You can find Lincoln Purple Spray on Amazon. 

Gentian Violet Spray: This Gentian Violet Spray is approved for people or animals. In addition to turning the area purple, it is also an antiseptic and will help the wound heal faster. I prefer this even over the Lincoln purple spray because of its dual purposes. I also like that it can be used for people’s wounds. You can find Gentian Violet Spray on Amazon. 

Research Resources: 

Indian Journals

Oviduct Rapture

Research Gate Published Study:

Prolapse in Laying Hens

Bangladesh Journal of Medicine

Egg Bound Vent Prolapse