Prevention and Treatment of Prolapse of the Cloaca in Laying Hens

Prolapse of the cloaca in laying hens is caused by insufficient exercise during the rearing period, excessive body fat, hens starting to lay too early or too late, excessive protein supply in the diet, deficiency of vitamin A and vitamin E in the diet, improper lighting or insufficient vitamin D supply, as well as some pathological factors. It seriously affects egg production and causes certain economic losses. Therefore, prevention and treatment of prolapse of the cloaca in laying hens must be done well.

I. Preventive measures

1. Strengthen the feeding management of laying hens during the rearing period. Throughout the brooding and rearing period, feeding standards and lighting management procedures must be strictly controlled, and scientific feeding management must be implemented to ensure that the laying hens are neither too fat nor too thin, do not lay prematurely, and the flock has uniform body condition, so that they enter the laying period in good condition.

2. Pay attention to disease prevention and treatment. Strengthen feeding management, frequently observe changes in the droppings of laying hens, and promptly examine the cause and treat chickens found to have diarrhea. Prevent feeding moldy and spoiled feed. While pursuing profits, the potential and tolerance of the chickens must be taken into account; during the peak laying period, special attention should be paid to the peak level and the length of the peak period.

II. Treatment measures

1. Mild prolapse of the cloaca: when the diseased chicken is not laying, the prolapse cannot be seen; it only lays blood-stained eggs or makes clucking sounds of painful straining during laying, or there is a slight protrusion outside the anus, but it quickly retracts into the body. At this time, the cause should be identified promptly, the cause removed, and treatment given.

2. Moderate prolapse of the cloaca: often caused by mild prolapse not being detected and treated in time. The cloaca protrudes to the size of a chestnut or an egg and cannot retract naturally into the body cavity. Manual washing should be done promptly (with salt water or normal saline), the protruding tissue pushed back into the abdominal cavity, the bird isolated to prevent pecking, and anti-inflammatory treatment given.