A few days ago I had an egg that was bloody. Occasionally, we get eggs that have a streak or 2 of blood... no big deal. Last night when I let the girls out to range the yard, there were drops of blood on the patio.... So I began checking rearends. Tina Turner was bleeding. I came in & jumped on google, and everything about bloody bums pointed to prolapse. Tina is my most standoffish hen. She just doesn't like people much & prefers to run from us. So, I had to bide my time until they roosted for the night.
I started scurrying around the 'stead- finding the chick waterers, antibiotics & kennel crate. I added the antibiotics & some raw apple cider vinegar to the water. I dug through the fridge for soft food & found some leftover brown rice. I mixed the rice with some dairy kefir. I put shavings in the crate & laid towels over the top (to keep it dark in hopes she won't lay, which can further aggravate the prolapse). I had just turned my heat lamps off earlier in the day, but knowing she would be alone & have only her own body heat, rather than the help of 9 other chickens, I set one up aimed at the crate, in hopes she'd stay warm through the night.
Once they were all in, I closed the inside door to the coop, and made my move. She didn't like me touching her, but once I had my hands around her wings, she calmed, knowing she wasn't going anywhere.
This morning when I check her at 6:15am, she seemed to be doing alright. I need to bring her in later, wash her bum, "put the vent back in place" & rub honey on it. Wish me hope. This is my first chicken "crisis." Prolapse if left untreated can be deadly in chickens. If left with population, the other chooks can let cannibalism get the better of them & peck at the vent until the affected chook bleeds to death.
Definitions of prolapse on the Web:
- slip or fall out of place, as of body parts; "prolapsed rectum"
- the slipping or falling out of place of an organ (as the uterus)
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn- Prolapse literally means "To fall out of place". In medicine, prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum, or for the misalignment of the valves of the heart. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolapse
The redneck greenhouse....
Hubba has been saying for quite some time that he would be building a greenhouse for me..... Well, he hasn't even started, so yesterday I took matters into my own hands, and I produced the redneck greenhouse!!!
Pregnant Rabbits.....
Yesterday I also placed nest boxes in the doe hutches. Everything I've read says to place the boxes just a few days before EDD. I'm still pretty sure only one is pregnant, and she started pulling fur almost as soon as I placed the box.
May 21st.....
Last but not least, the lady from the feed store in Rock Springs called me to let me know that she had an estimated arrival date for the new chicks & poults!! May 21st. She was trying to order early, so she could get them early, but they wanted to send partial batches throughout the next couple months. She told them "No. I have people coming in from out of town, and they need to be here all at once." So May 21st, was the soonest they could ship everything she's ordered. She's a wonderful lady & very receptive to her customer's needs.
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