Egg bound

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If you can feel an egg give her 500-1000mg calcium. You can give her regular human calcium or liquid Calcium Gluconate from the cattle section at TSC. Give her the calcium, then stick her in a box in a dark room, that should help her pass the egg. You could also give her some vitamin E.




-Kathy
 
Yes she is pooping. Every time I give her a bath she poops. I'm really not comfortable giving her an exam. I'm not sure what I'm doing and I'm scared I'll break the egg. It's very hard where her vent is and I don't even see my finger fitting because of it.
 
*If* she is egg bound, E and Calcium might help her pass the egg. FYI, a hen can be egg bound for many months and still be alive. This "they'd be dead in 48 hours" thing I keep reading IS_NOT_TRUE, but if she has been egg bound for longer than a few days you need to see a vet, ASAP!


Here is some info on egg binding and treatments:

Source:
How is egg binding treated?

Treatment varies with how sick the bird is when presented to your veterinarian, as well as the location of the egg and the length of time the bird has been egg bound. Critically ill birds are first treated for shock and then attempts are made to treat the egg binding. Mildly affected birds may respond to supplemental heat, re-hydration with injectable fluids, calcium, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin D-3. Other injectable drugs may help cause the oviduct to contract and expel the egg. If the egg is near the cloacal opening, it might be gently extracted. Eggs that do not pass with drug therapy require treatment that is more aggressive. A needle may need to be placed through the abdomen into the eggshell to aspirate the contents of the egg, causing the shell to collapse. Following this treatment, the empty shell will usually pass out of the bird within a few days. Failing this, surgery may be performed to remove the egg or shell fragments.
"Critically ill birds are first treated for shock and then attempts are made to treat the egg binding."


Source: http://www.birdvet.com.au/exotics care/birdcare/EGG BINDING.htm

6. How is egg binding treated?

  • Treatment varies with how sick the bird is when presented to the veterinarian as well as the location of the egg and the length of time the bird has been egg bound.
  • Critically ill birds are first treated for shock and then attempts are made to treat the egg binding.
  • Mildly affected birds may respond to supplemental heat, calcium, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin D-3.
  • Other injectable drugs may help cause the oviduct to contract and expel the egg.
  • If the egg is near the cloacal opening, the veterinarian may be able to gently extract it.
  • Eggs that do not pass with drug therapy require more aggressive treatment. The veterinarian may need to place a needle through the abdomen into the egg shell and aspirate the contents of the egg, causing the shell to collapse. The shell will usually pass out of the bird within a few days. Failing this, surgery may be performed to remove the egg or shell fragments.


Source: http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html
Egg Binding

Breeding Challenges


Egg binding refers to a common and potentially serious condition where a female bird is unable to pass an egg that may be stuck near the cloaca, or further inside the reproductive tract. Even though egg binding can occur in any female bird, it is most common in smaller birds such as lovebirds, cockatiels, budgies and finches.
The potential of an egg breaking inside the tract is high, which then can result in an infection or damage to internal tissue; and - if left untreated - death.
The bound egg may be gently massaged out; failing this it may become necessary for a vet to break the egg inside and remove it in parts. If broken, the oviduct should be cleaned of shell fragments and egg residue to avoid damage or infection.

Suspected causes for egg binding include:
  • Low Calcium Levels or Hypocalcaemia Syndrome associated with low calcium levels in the blood. Supplementing the breeding hen with a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D is an important factor in preventing this problem
    • You could provide a dish filled with crushed egg shell (from boiled eggs to kill any bacteria) and/or attach a calcium / mineral block to the cage.
    • In areas where access to natural sunlight is limited (such as in the northern hemisphere during the winter months), full-spectrum lamps can be used to provide UVA and UVB rays.Natural food sources rich in Vitamin DPotentially discuss supplementation with your vet. Supplementation needs to be carefully screen ed and supervised by a vet since an excess of vitamin D (in the form of a supplement) causes kidney damage and retards growth.
    • Relevant Article: Natural Calcium for Birds - Sources and Absorbability
  • Malnutrition caused by seed-only or low-protein diets. Recommendations for bird diet / bird nutrition.
  • Sedentary lifestyle: Often the case when birds are kept in enclosures / cages that are too small for them. The lack of exercise causes poorly developed muscles and obesity.
  • At particular risk are sick and old birds.
  • Pet birds can also develop this problem, as birds don't need a mate to lay eggs. (Obviously, solitary egg-laying females won't produce fertile eggs.)
Also refer to Chronic Egg Laying and Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, no-shell, porous, misshaped / deformed eggs

Clinical Signs:
Loss of appetite, depression, abdominal straining, and sitting fluffed on the bottom of the cage. Some hens may pass large wet droppings while others may not pass any droppings due to the egg's interfering with normal defecation.

If you suspect that your bird is egg-bound, she should be seen by a vet immediately. The veterinarian may be able to feel the egg in the bird's abdomen. An x-ray may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Sometimes medical treatment will enable the hen to pass her egg. Occasionally surgery is necessary.
Complications from being egg bound can be swelling, bleeding or prolapse of the oviduct.

Treatment:
If in doubt as to if the hen is egg bound or not, a few vet sites recommend separation, warmth, warm bath and calcium to all hens in lay that seem distressed.
This is a life-threatening condition and should be addressed by a qualified avian vet. Your vet may discuss:
  • Calcium shots - immediate solution to help the egg shell harden allowing the hen to hopefully pass it
  • Lupron shots to stop hens from going into breeding condition
  • Spaying your hen as a permanent solution

The following are samples of actions that have resolved this problem for some birds (please note: not all hens can be saved, especially if it's critical by the time the problem was discovered and no vet is available or can be reached in time). Egg-bound hens go into profound cardiovascular collapse and may not be able to put in the effort to push the egg out without intervention.
  • Place the bird into a steamy room, such as bathroom with shower on until the bathroom mirrors and windows steam up. Desired temperature: 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit / Humidity: 60%. Place bird on wet towel. The warmth relaxes the hen so that the vent can dilate more allowing the egg to pass.
  • A warm water bath can also be of great help (shallow water, of course, you don't want to drown the hen). This relaxes her muscles and often the hen will pass the egg into the water. Make the water as warm as you would like to take a long soak in.
  • Massage the muscles in that area with olive oil. In many cases, this lead to a successful passing of the egg. Note: there is a risk associated with messaging this area. It could cause the egg inside to break - which is life-threatening. Be very careful! If in doubt, it's always best to have the vet take care of it ...
  • Even if the cause is not hypocalcaemia in this hen’s case it will not hurt her to have more calcium.
  • Applying a personal lubricant, such as KY jelly to her vent may also be helpful.
  • To reduce swelling on her vent, some breeders reported success in applying Preparation H to her vent.
  • Successful Passing of the Egg: Following passing of the egg keep the hen in a warm and quiet area separate from the others, until she is out of shock and back to eating and drinking well.
  • Prevention: Provide bird with high-calorie, high-calcium food to help strengthen future eggs and prevent egg binding. Recommendations for pet bird diet / nutrition.

- See more at: http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html#sthash.sUiyeQ7I.dpuf​
 
ten chicks said:
Many months,i am surprised b/c i have never heard this before and the information i have from vets is contrary to this.
Click to expand...
I had one with a deformed cloaca, she couldn't pass her first egg and lived for many months before dying. Also had one with a stuck soft shelled egg that did the same.

This is a peahen that had a stuck egg last June, then never layed.





This is what she looked like in February:


She died March 8, 2014

Very sad and it could have been delt with back in June. You can read about her here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/796754/does-this-look-like-a-egg-problem-or

And then there's this:
Click on this to see what can happen if an egg gets stuck. I think this egg weighed 1 pound!












-Kathy
 
Last edited:

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