can't get a picture, sorry don't have a camera. but I did some research after I posted and I'm pretty sure its prolapse. it doesn't look like an open sore and the other chickens( we only have three others) don't pick on her she is the Alpha S. Its not bloody or anything and she doesn't seem to be sore from it. She seems to be really healthy other then all this poop on her hindend and the smell. she is eating fine, forageing laying fine right up until yesterday, when she dropped that egg like she couldn't hold it in before she got to a nest and then laying the shelless egg later on that same evening. We have some new baby bunnies, and have been spending a lot of time outside with all the animals so I think I would have noticed if she were acting sick. She is a very large bird. but since this is my first time having chickens I have nothing to compare her with so I just thought that her breed must get that big. I can't believe she has a calcium deficiency she gets the best scratch and laying mash and I feed all of them treats from the house like bread, tomatoes, fruit, and sometimes buy them worms and minnows. she also free ranges with only three other mates, in an enclosure over 140ft long and just about 100 ft wide. she should have plenty to nutrients. I can only guess that she is too fat and that has caused this prolapse. Do you suggest I take her off feed for a few days. I put her in her sleeping quarters today. with some bedding and some water. I won't be home today but plan on cleaning her every nite and when I am home from my various jobs doing that through out the day with warm water. The research suggested I use some prepperation H to take down the swelling. ???? open to any suggestions at this point. Thanks all CI

You don't give a size on the cage you posted nor the length/width of the spikes that are meant to hold it in a vertical position but at first glance, it appears that perhaps the cage is meant for installation before the plant/tomato/whatever is big enough for the roots to be an issue. In my own caging experiences for tomatoes and the like, I've found that you can push or drive anything within reason into the soil without doing too much root damage AS LONG AS the soil has good tilth (basically defined as the tightness or looseness of the soil involved), you move slowly, and push the stakes down with your hand as far as they'll go before you take a hammer to them. Although I tried commercial tomato cages for a while with little luck (usually too small or short for mature plants), I finally started making my own cages out of concrete reinforcing mesh (usually about 4' wide with 4" to 6" squares). As to the product shown, I'd probably not purchase it for my own use as I've bought and tried too many "got to have it" type products over the years with little luck but that's just my opinion... Steve in TX

Laura, thanks, I do know not to put out bird feeders, if I did, I would be inviting a big black bear to come and visit Mike. Yes, I'm gonna put a couple of my Walmart specials out for a trial. One time I went so far as to put some cubes of rat poison down into the tunnels in the yard. I really don't want to do that again.

LOL, don't hold your breath about Lowes having the same product now if it has been long enough, unless you are sure you can find the pile you pulled it off. I just looked at my bag and it has the same label and color scheme on the bag (though it was identical at first glance) except it is not labeled "dolomitic lime', but rather "Gardenlime" and under that in big bold letters "great calcium and magnesium source" of something to that effect. So Lowes clearly has at least two versions of 40 pound bags. Either way, it is plenty enough so this is not something to worry about for yours at this point and may never be. You had just asked about details and I pulled it out of thin air as an example of the sorts of details that we can get bogged down in. The lime is not your problem now, that's for sure. The filling with water is iffy if you really are under such water usage for that plant, especially with a cover to discourage evaporation that it has, but maybe you are in AZ or something. To be honest I'm skeptical it is using all that water and would measure a better baseline for another couple of days and keep track of it, since I don't want to give you bad advice and I really am not there to be talking. If you find it is using 1.5 gallons per day, then every two days is fine and what I'm shooting for in my head at this point. The plants could easily require more as they get bigger but we're talking now... Don't forget the soil is saturated and has a lot of water capacity too before the wicking action will be lost. It could add another gallon or two, so there is a little safety built in as long as the plants don't cake-dry the setup. Those are just mullings since you may have a better hands on feel than I do, but it's what I'm thinking. In Florida a tomato plant your size would still drink less than 2 liters in the heat, but we have a higher humidity to deal with so that's what I'm concerned I might err on. Hope those thoughts help, as you experiment. around. PC