Egg bound or something else?

aimee6286

Hatching
Oct 10, 2015
6
0
9
I thought my hen, "Bloomers", was egg bound based on how she was laying down more and falling over when walking today as if off balance, and was sticking her wings out as if she was trying to catch herself or balance (though she sure could run when we were trying to catch her), so I have given a warm bath, massaged her abdomen, and given calcium (via syringe as well as given egg shell and cheese which she ate) but have felt no egg. I am pretty sure she hasn't laid today, can't be 100% certain due to having multiple hens who lay very early, but I have not observed her laying for a few days at least, i have a feeling she has stopped laying recently (she's only been laying for about a month) so I have made an effort to keep an eye on her and check her for egg binding. Yesterday she did the clucking like she was going to lay, and I saw her around the nesting boxes but she never did lay after that. I inspected her vent and abdomen then and didn't feel an egg. Could it be further up in the tract? Do the symptoms sound like anything else? I keep layer feed available, water available, throw out crushed egg shells as i accumulate them, and they "free range" in about a 1/4 acre fenced in back yard. We're in Texas, so it's cooled down but still warm outside, no new sources of "stress" that i can think of. I haven't observed any other symptoms, and the falling over just started today that I have seen (and we tend to watch them a lot).

Thanks in advance. Hope this made sense- all 3 kids and hubby are talking and making nonsensical noises nonstop while i'm typing!

**edit to add that she's a red sex-link hen about 6 months old. I've had her in a pen in the house for several hours and she's not showing any new symptoms or appearing to be in distress. She is resting (but not lethargic) and arranging the hay into a nice little nest and even sitting on someone else's egg i stuck in there. i tried to watch her walking, but she didn't walk much for me to evaluate if she's still wobbly, but she did have a large and pretty solid poop. still didn't feel any egg when i massaged her. vent appears like it could be a little swollen possibly (or that could be in my head?)
 
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update- kept Bloomers in a dog crate indoors overnight. This afternoon made her a separate outdoor pen to let her get some fresh air and hopefully observe her walking. she is perky, not lethargic or sickly looking or any signs of distress. have not seen her stumbling today. she has a good appetite, has been eating and drinking just fine. has not laid an egg. i have seen her poop several times and it looks normal. her comb is not pale, no labored breathing, etc.

after reading thru some similar posts, i'm still not sure why she was stumbling yesterday but no other signs of distress really. for her and the other chickens i have added ACV and what i had left of some infants vit D to water, garlic powder to layer pellets, and plan on getting some sunflower seeds for the selenium/vit E absorption.

i plan to keep her separate awhile longer just in case....

anyone had this experience with falling over and no other symptoms?
 

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