Egg-bound with first egg? (Hunched, tail down, open-mouthed)

timebider

In the Brooder
May 13, 2016
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I have a five-month-old pullet who seemed less active than usual yesterday but with no other symptoms. Today she is standing in place, looking a little hunched, with her tail down and mouth slightly open. There is no nasal discharge and her eyes look fine. She has not yet started laying eggs. Her friends are all lying down to nap but she's still standing up (though she did move to be near them). She hasn't started laying yet; is it possible she's egg-bound? I have a vet appointment for her but it's not until tomorrow afternoon. Thanks!!
 
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Will she eat some chopped egg for you? Is she eating and drinking? You can insert a finger an inch or two inside her vent to feel for a stuck egg. How do her poops look? You may want to crate her forpart of the day to look at her droppings, and not how much she eats and drinks. At her age most chickens may have developed tolerance to coccidiosis, but it still could be a problem if she is having runny stools and not eating. Make sure that she is not being kept from food by the others.
 
Also check her crop. It may be she has an obstruction or even a yeast infection. A full squishy crop may indicate sour crop. An empty crop with a very hard lump may be an impacted crop. Crop problems may cause the symptoms you describe.

Isolating her to inspect her poops can tell you a lot. If you are taking her to the vet, collect a stool sample, just a small swab of the poop on a cotton ball is all you need, for the vet to run a fecal float test for parasites.
 

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