My chicken is egg bound for 4 days

[Megaron]

It’s been 95* in San Diego for the last week. I found my 3yr old rhode island red wobbling and eventually dropping to the floor by the water. I brought her in the house and fed her food and water with electrolytes. After a few hours, she stood up and did the penguin stance. She was either dehydrated, sick from something, or egg bounds. I put her in an epsum bath 3 times that day and nothing happened. I applied KY gel and checked her vent but no egg and she only pooped watered poop. I noticed her belly was swollen a bit.

Next morning, I took her to an emergency vet and they confirmed (without x-ray) she’s egg bound, but the egg hasn’t passed to the vent yet. They gave her a shot of calcium and water. By next morning she didn’t pass an egg and keep having diarrhea poop. Now I’m stumped. She’s looking weaker and weaker and the swollen belly looks whitish tiny. Called the vet again and she suspects the egg bursted. She said to bring her back and consider euthanizing. She’s still alive and it kills me to think if there anything else we can do. She still eating and occasionally drinking water on her own or through syringe.

All local avian vets are in some conference so her local vet can’t see her until 2 days from now. I’m afraid she won’t make it by then. ER vets scare me even more as they seem to push for euthanizing. I see videos of folks talking about DIY removing fluid from her belly even with Egg Yolk Peritonitis syndrome. Should I attempt or take her to the ER one more time. I feel they’ll just put her down and I’m surprised she’s lived this long being egg bound.

Thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get some human calcium citrate with vitamins d3 or caltrate, and give her one orally? They can take 600 mg daily. Can you place her in a slightly warm and humid area, such as in a bathroom? Is she drinking water and eating anything? Did the vet xray her to confirm an egg? They can sometimes have lash eggs inside the abdomen which could feel like a stuck egg.

 

[Megaron]

Hi @Eggcessive,

I crush Tums to supplement her feed, which is Purina oyster strong pellets. I turn the pellets into a mash mixed with water, and then she eats it. She is drinking and eating on her own occasionally.

Update:
I took my chicken to the ER a 2nd time, and the vet did a ultra sound on her belly. She thinks the egg burst and is now in her belly. This vet didn't sound too experienced with birds or confident with her diagnosis, so I suggested to drain the water belly based on what I've read online. She said there could be risk of infection but agreed to drain 420ml of fluid and gave anti-infection/inflammation meds.

Per vet instructions, I fed her Gerber squash and peas for soft food in the evening. She then rested overnight. This morning she's eating her regular mashed food and drinking some water. Yet, she still looks drowsy and hasn't laid an egg in a week. I'm still worried and watching her closely.

 

[Eggcessive]

What antibiotic is the vet treating her with? I would check her crop to see that she is eating and then in early morning to make sure it is emptying normally. Frequently with the internal laying and ascites, the crop may not function normally. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[Megaron]

Sulfatrim (TMS) Pediatric Suspension 1.75 mls every 12 hours for 1 week
Sulfamethoxazole-TMP 1.75 mls every 12 hours for 1 week
Meloxicam 1.5 mg/ml with food for pain/inflammation. 1.6 mls once daily for 3-5 days

 

[Eggcessive]

Sulfatrim (TMS) Pediatric Suspension 1.75 mls every 12 hours for 1 week
Sulfamethoxazole-TMP 1.75 mls every 12 hours for 1 week
Meloxicam 1.5 mg/ml with food for pain/inflammation. 1.6 mls once daily for 3-5 days

Are you given both Sulfatrim and Sulfamethoxazole, or just one of those? Sulfatrim is sulfamethoxazole and trimethopren already. How is her crop emptying? Is her appetite any better? I would use the calcium citrate with d as well.

 

[Megaron]

Are you given both Sulfatrim and Sulfamethoxazole, or just one of those? Sulfatrim is sulfamethoxazole and trimethopren already. How is her crop emptying? Is her appetite any better? I would use the calcium citrate with d as well.

@Eggcessive Scratch the Sulfatrim. It was an old empty bottle. She only taking the sulfamethoxazole.

Her crop seems fine. It's normally full at night and empty in the morning. She's pooping and peeing fine but no apatite. Dabs into food here and there. So we have to use a syringe now. Any suggestion on a type of syringe food that's high in protein to treat a sick chicken?

 

[Megaron]

Update: something new happened today...she starting panting and the AC was on so it wasn't hot in indoors. it's very light panting but enough to keep us worried. It's a bummer because she was on the road to recovery but not she's resisting syringe eating or drinking. Not sure what's wrong but she's also light panting at night and it's stopping her from sleeping. This happed mid day today. Any idea what's the cause?

 

[DLA]

Scramble some eggs (shells included) then blender it until it will go thru a syringe for high protein food. I'm really sad for you and your hen. This is difficult to deal with and it seems you're doing all you can to help her.
I don't know exactly what is causing her illness but RIR are breed to be very heavy layers and because of the selective breeding to promote that they can be more prone to reproductive issues. Sadly, it is not overly surprising to hear of a 3 year old RIR hen having egg binding problems or reproductive organ disease. They are usually pretty heat and cold tolerant but dealing with the heat compounded with an egg binding or reproductive organs problem is likely what you're dealing with. I have 9 RIR a little over a year old and I fully expect to have to deal with something similar at some point in the future so I sympathize with what you're going thru, I knew this before I got them but that doesn't make it any easier.

 

[Eggcessive]

@Eggcessive Scratch the Sulfatrim. It was an old empty bottle. She only taking the sulfamethoxazole.

Her crop seems fine. It's normally full at night and empty in the morning. She's pooping and peeing fine but no apatite. Dabs into food here and there. So we have to use a syringe now. Any suggestion on a type of syringe food that's high in protein to treat a sick chicken?

Sorry that she is now panting. Could she be stressed because she is inside? What is the temperature inside? Switching from outside and 95 might be too big of a change to go indoors with AC. Is there some place in between on temps? Many people learn to tube feed, and you can use a commercial baby bird feed such as KayTee. Many mix up chicken feed with water to make it soupy. Some use the torpedo method of feeding small “torpedos” of chicken feed, water and egg mixed up and placing them into the beak to eat.
What I have done with hens who lost appetite and were not interested in eating, I would not force them. I tend to let nature take it‘s course when reproductive disorders and crop problems arrive. Only one hen I ever kept alive with food, was one who could not reach food and water or keep her balance. I fed her twice daily a bowl of mushy wet chicken crumbles, plain yogurt, PolyVisol, egg, and varied with some cat food pate or ground meat. She ate that for 5 weeks, not drinking a drop of water, and lived to get up and free range again for a couple of years.