Question about young hen - possible egg bound?

[nancyrat]

She is a Rhode Island Red and 6-7 month old. She has always looked different - kept her tail feathers down?? (Kind of like they do when they are sleeping?) The others their tail feathers stand up. However, she has always acted fine, running with the pack, eating drinking, healthy shiny feathers, etc... until today. We noticed she wasn't moving around much and standing off on her own. The young hens are laying now and I checked to see if she may be egg bound. I gloved up and used Vaseline and could feel something "hard" as I pressed down but to me it didn't feel like an egg - it seemed too small? The hard spot only felt like the size of a marble or maybe a robin egg? Could I be feeling the tip of an egg? I checked another hen, and she did not have the same hard spot. ...I've always wondered if this hen would have problems because she physically carried herself different...If it is an egg, what can I do for her? @azygous, @Eggcessive any ideas?

 

[Tylerblockbuster]

Try putting her In warm water for 20 minutes and make sure her but sokes it will help loosen it up if there is an egg and try to give them oyster shells it will help them. She could not poop if she is egg bound so see if she is pooping

 

[nancyrat]

Try putting her In warm water for 20 minutes and make sure her but sokes it will help loosen it up if there is an egg and try to give them oyster shells it will help them. She could not poop if she is egg bound so see if she is pooping

Thank you, I didn't know that.... I guess Ill separate her so I can see if she is pooping...plus if I soak her - it is cold so I'll need to put her somewhere warm....

 

[Tylerblockbuster]

What kind of food are you feeding her

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have any photos of her?
Is she pooping?

She may be having trouble passing an egg. Give her a soak in a warm epsom salts bath if she is not lethargic. Feel for the egg again.
I would also direct dose her with poultry vitamins if you have them and get extra calcium into her. A crushed TUMS will work or if you have something like Caltrate, give her 1/2tablet.

It would be good if you brought her in to monitor her. Encourage her to drink/stay hydrated. Check her crop first thing in the morning to see that it's emptied.

IF she is lethargic. Place her in a steamed up bathroom or on a towel covered heating pad set on low. Soaking can push them over the edge when lethargic. Still work on hydration and calcium.

Keep us posted.

 

[nancyrat]

What kind of food are you feeding her

Purina layer feed always avail, scratch and sunflower seeds in mornings and every couple days I cut up some kale and fresh spinach for them.....I also give them back their shells and throw out some oyster shell every so often...maybe I need to give more? I don't know never had this problem...

 

[nancyrat]

Do you have any photos of her?
Is she pooping?

She may be having trouble passing an egg. Give her a soak in a warm epsom salts bath if she is not lethargic. Feel for the egg again.
I would also direct dose her with poultry vitamins if you have them and get extra calcium into her. A crushed TUMS will work or if you have something like Caltrate, give her 1/2tablet.

It would be good if you brought her in to monitor her. Encourage her to drink/stay hydrated. Check her crop first thing in the morning to see that it's emptied.

IF she is lethargic. Place her in a steamed up bathroom or on a towel covered heating pad set on low. Soaking can push them over the edge when lethargic. Still work on hydration and calcium.

Keep us posted.

Not sure if she is pooping, I will have to isolate her. I can take a picture in the morning and post it....I have wondered if there was something physically (anatomically) wrong with her since she was a chick...she always looked different no tail feathers up...butt down....but has grown like the other chicks and runs, feeds and drinks with them....always seemed fine. Checking her, I never felt a hard knot like this before in any other of my girls....so not sure it is an egg ...but will treat as such to see what happens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Not sure if she is pooping, I will have to isolate her. I can take a picture in the morning and post it....I have wondered if there was something physically (anatomically) wrong with her since she was a chick...she always looked different no tail feathers up...butt down....but has grown like the other chicks and runs, feeds and drinks with them....always seemed fine. Checking her, I never felt a hard knot like this before in any other of my girls....so not sure it is an egg ...but will treat as such to see what happens.

It's possible that she may have something anatomically wrong, chickens can have developmental problems like anything else.
Let us know how it goes. It would be worth monitoring her overnight, get some photos of her poop too if you can.