I think my hen is egg bound

[chicka pucella]

One of my hens who is around 7 years old has been lethargic, not hanging around the other hens, not eating or drinking from what I can see. I found her today away from the rest of the flock standing practically straight up. I felt her abdomen and I feel something hard on her left side towards her vent but not on the right. Could this be a trapped egg? Last week we found a larger normal egg in one of the nesting boxes but didn't know who laid it. Any help would be great. I did soak her 8n warm water but got nothing.

 

[iwiw60]

From your description it does sound like she could be egg-bound.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html

 

[chicka pucella]

I have soaked her but nothing happened. My concern is that I hear if it happens once it will happen aain. If that's the case then I would rather put her out of her misery and not force her I to the same situation . All she wants to do is sleep. Does it sound like it's too late?

 

[Eggcessive]

At her age standing upright, not wanting to move, and being sleepy sounds more like internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis. You can feel inside the vent 1-2 inches wearing a rubber glove, and aim upward toward the oviduct to search for a stuck egg. Egg binding is caused by a lack of calcium, so try giving her a dose of Tums, calcium tablet, or some crushed egg shells. EYP and internal laying are common along with cancer in older hens. Sometimes they will lose weight, yet have a spongy lower abdomen that can sometimes contain fluid (ascites.) Here is some info on EYP:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/526089/egg-yolk-peritonitis
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/362422/drained-a-hens-abdomen-rest-in-peace-olivia-11-5-10
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/195347/my-ivy-latest-relapse-shes-gone

 

[chicka pucella]

Either one sounds like a terminal and continue condition. I hate seeing her suffer also. Thank you very much f9r all your help. Do you think this is a hereditary thing?

 

[Eggcessive]

EYP and internal laying are common in the production chickens that lay every day, but can occur with any chickens. Penicillin and Baytril are used to fight off infection, and this can give them more time and ease discomfort. Sorry about your hen. I would still check her in case she is egg bound, especially if she has been laying recently.

 

[chicka pucella]

I am sorry to say she didn't make it through the night. I'm worried I massaged too hard?

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh, I'm sorry that you lost her. I don't think that you did anything wrong, but I believe it was her time to go. It's much better this way than having her suffer in pain. With internal laying and EYP, it can sometimes help to do your own necropsy just to see what has killed them. It is never pleasant cutting open a pet, but it does help you to know that nothing could have helped. It may also help to know what to look for if it happens in another hen. If you ever decide to do one, you can post pictures here to get opinions from those who have done necropsies before.

 

[chicka pucella]

I should have done that. I will next time. I have 3 left that are her age. I'm going to keep a close eye on them. Thank you for all your help and information.
Now I have another question. I have a peep about 2 Mos old. She was fine until 3 days ago. She keeps tucking her head down under herself. Almost involuntarily. And I find her on her back. She will not lift her head. Her one yet was swollen. I found debris I. It. So I cleaned it out. But she continues to jet her head under herself and the flips over. I wonder if she had brain damage?

 

[Eggcessive]

Get her started on vitamins, especially B1 thiamine, E, and selenium. Poultry Nutri-Drench has those, or you could use poultry vitamins and give her some egg for selenium. Wry neck or torticolis is a neurological condition from either a head injury, a vitamin deficiency, or from certain diseases causing brain inflammation. Certains breeds such as silkies and polish may be more prone to it from sometimes having a vaulted skull. Here are some links to read:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html
https://tikktok.wordpress.com/tag/treat-chicken-with-wry-neck/