Prolapsed cloaca

[Sally]

I lost one of my Gren hens this morning. I found her late last night, and I knew she was in terrible trouble. I had never seen a prolapsed cloaca, so I did a quick search, and she did not look anything like the photos I saw. She had two enormous masses protruding from her vent. One was an egg that seemed unusually big. The other mass seemed to be parts of her internal organs. This second mass was as large as the egg mass. This had been going on for some time, I assume, as the egg mass was quite dry.

I had no water-soluable lubricant on hand, so I just used warm water, and tried to loosen the egg, to separate it from her organs. It broke, and I cleaned up all the pieces as best I could. Then I tried to replace the second mass in her body, but it was so large, it was difficult. Then I gave her liquid calcium in her beak and gave her a heat lamp.

When I checked her later, thinking I would find her dead, she looked surprisingly alert. I caught her up, and it looked like she had absorbed most of the mass back into her body--I had hope. But this morning, I found her dead on the bottom of the cage. I think there was just too much damage to her internal organs.

All I can think of is that this egg was so large that she had difficulty expelling it, causing the prolapse, and then the weight of the egg pulled more internal organs out with it. I didn't think to take photos at the time, I was too busy trying to figure out how to help her.

I don't normally give liquid calcium in the water as a regular part of a regimen, as I think they get enough calcium in the food, mineral mix, and other supplements. However, I think I'd better start giving the breeding hens some liquid calcium in their water at least once a week I've never had this happen before, and haven't even had much of a problem with eggbinding in several years, so this really caught me off-guard.

[cindy]

Sally there are a few things you can do...this is remote but a warm sugar bath, like a sitz bath. Hopefully it should shrink the tissue enough to push it back up into her. You can actualy use hemmriod oitment also. This is not always a permanent solution. There is a way to do this and the article I have explains this.

Pm me your email address and I will send you some documents on what can be done. The organ if left out in the air to long will dry up and the bird will eventually pass away, for not put a little neosporin ointment, not cream on the exposed tissue, it may help the tissue stay soft for now.

[cindy]

I had a hen that went through this not to long ago, I got it to shrink up and got part of it back in, they act normal even with the section protruding but eventually if not fixed succumb to it. My girl kept pushing it out. Keep heat on her but also keep the tissue moist.

Some think it is is in the way the birds mate, if it is rough or she pulls away to fast that weakens the area...

I would see the reverse in reptiles (dwarf shield tail agamas) if the female was startled or interrupted during mating and pulled away, the males organ would be exposed and not able to retracted back into the body correctly. Warm sugar water helped in that case.

[Sally]

I really think this was more than a prolapse. The egg was unusually big, that is the first thing that struck me. And there was much more of her internal tissue/organs outside her body than any photos I have been able to find. But I appreciate getting the article--I had never had anything like this before, and was at a loss as to what to do for her. What I found on the net really didn't describe what I was seeing. I think the poor girl didn't have a chance.

[6finchfriends]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen Sally. Poor girl. You did everything you could to save her. I hope the calcium in the water prevents this from ever happening again.

[cindy]

Sally, from what I read it could be caused by a few things, she may have had adhesions, the muscles could be weak. It is very sad to see. The bigger birds usually can be helped with vet intervention but finches sometimes do not fair as well.

Thinking of you.

[ac12]

Sorry to hear this.
Very sad when they die trying to create a new life.

[bugaboo5]

Oh Jesus....so sorry to hear of your devastating loss. I know how much these birds mean to you and I know how excited you were about these new captive bred females. My thoughts are with you! I know you had a spare hen that was plucking herself; perhaps you can introduce her to the widowed male via the divider? So sorry....

[MRobinson]

I'm very sad to hear this. I know she must have been hurting and now with her loss you are hurting....so sad...

[dfcauley]

So sorry to hear this Sally.....
On a side note, I hope you are feeling better.

[lovemyfinch]

So sorry to hear of this Sally

[G8love4finches]

So sorry, Sally.....What a difficult experience she had to go through, and you as well....My thoughts are with you....She is at peace now...Poor thing

[L in Ontario]

Just reading this now - such an awful experience for you both I'm so sorry.

[Sally]

Thanks, everyone. This may be the most devastating thing I have been through with my birds. I probably should have euthanized her last night, but when she appeared to be holding her own, I actually had some hope--though in the back of my mind, I think I knew there was no way she could recover from this. It was not a simple prolapse, and she had bled quite a bit. In a way, it was a relief to find her gone this morning, as I knew she was at peace.

This was one of the domestic hens I had recently purchased. I looked her over this morning for any clues, and there just weren't any. She was in good feather, and nice and plump around her breastbone. She had been active and eating.

I thought this was her first egg, but when I cleaned out the cage, I found two eggs under the hay--one broken and one pierced, but otherwise normal in appearance. So this would have been her third. She was paired with the male that had already killed one mate, so I was keeping a close eye on them. In fact, they had been preening and getting closer, but the day before, I noticed that she was again hiding in the plant, so I put the divider back in. I wonder if he somehow caused her injury with a too-enthusiastic mating? At any rate, he will not be paired with the other hen. It may not have been his fault, I'll never know, but I can't take a chance.

And though I do have that other hen, the one that was plucking herself, she is promised to Misty, and that is where she is going. She needs to be paired with Misty's domestic 2011 male, not a possibly wild-caught, age unknown male. With Misty's male, if they bond, that will make a pair of 2011 male, 2010 hen that could go on for a number of years to produce domestic young, and that is our goal right now.

I will keep updating my thread under Breeding to keep those who are interested informed of how this is going.

[cindy]

Sally, again I want to express my sympathies. I know what it is like, it is heartbreaing to watch.

The pair of shaft tails I was given (the people were moving, contacted me via the forum), the male was way to agressive with the female. I separated them for a while and paired them again, things seemed to calm down but I noticed the aggressive mating, he pinned her and grabbed her with his beak by the back of her neck. I watched the pair, things calmed down almost normal. She laid an egg and he stayed by her in the nest feeding her, sweet this time. When she left the nest I noticed the prolapse. It was rather large and their was no fixing it.

From what I read the aggressive mating can tear, weaken the muscles and as they pass an egg prolapse can occur. She passed away not long after that. He mourned her but he can not be placed in the flight with the other shaft tails or any other bird. He chases and pins other birds. He lives by himself in a cage near the flight cage. It is a shame but I can't risk another female meeting the same fate.