First off you probably would like to know what Egg-bind is. Egg-bind is a serious and possibly fatal condition for female chickens at the age of breeding. The basic gist is that the poor bird develops a egg that is too big or is an awkward shape and she cannot pass it. Now that you know what it is you probably would like to check if any of your birds are showing any signs of it. The symptoms of egg-bound are listed below:
A egg-bound hen will become lethargic and won't eat like she used too; In the picture above a hen is in a slouched sitting position and has her eyes closed tight. Some treatments for Egg-bound are:
Also, you can fill a bucket with warm water and place the chicken inside to ease her pain from the egg that is physically too large to pass without help.The picture below shows how to hold the egg-bound hen in her "bathtub" You must keep her head above the water and her rear in the water for at least a 1\2 hour.This will ease her pain from the egg.
I have owned a egg-bound hen ......Or so I THOUGHT. Her name is "Tiny" she is a light Brahma and had a case of Egg-bind..oh lets say two years ago. I caught her sitting in her nesting box a lot but she never laid an egg. I asked my mom what she thought I should do. My mom told me to try making her swallow oil. So I had my sister hold tiny who was very scared and I opened her beak and i dribbled oil down her throat and massaged it on her vent. It turns out she did NOT have Egg-bind at ALL ! I was so frustrated! But Oil does help lubricate the vent area to make it slippery so the egg can pass.
A chicken stays in her box with out eating than she can't live long.... If you see any unusual behavior than you should try to take a picture of it and post it on :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ So we can help figure out what is wrong or if it was a fluke. If you think you are wasting time and that your bird might be in danger than immediately call the vet to help the poor chicken. I hope my article has covered all your questions on this topic!
- Swelling-- this may occur in abdomen area or vent, because of the strain and pain the bird is going through.
- Constipation-- If you think your chicken might be egg-bound ,look at her droppings! If she does they will look abnormal and mis-shaped.
- Fluffy Feathers-- When a hen is egg-bound she will fluff up her feathers....maybe trying to block out the pain--who knows!?
- Straining -- If a bird is egg-bound then she will open her mouth and look like she is trying to squawk but no sound or faint sound will come out of her mouth.If this happens then you can look at her vent...each time her mouth opens her vent will too. She is trying to push it out.
A egg-bound hen will become lethargic and won't eat like she used too; In the picture above a hen is in a slouched sitting position and has her eyes closed tight. Some treatments for Egg-bound are:
- elevation of the humidity level so the air around it is moist.
- lubricate the hens vent area so it is smooth and slippery to help the egg pass
- you may give it doses of calcium or vitamins,A,D,and E
- distribution of fluids
Also, you can fill a bucket with warm water and place the chicken inside to ease her pain from the egg that is physically too large to pass without help.The picture below shows how to hold the egg-bound hen in her "bathtub" You must keep her head above the water and her rear in the water for at least a 1\2 hour.This will ease her pain from the egg.
I have owned a egg-bound hen ......Or so I THOUGHT. Her name is "Tiny" she is a light Brahma and had a case of Egg-bind..oh lets say two years ago. I caught her sitting in her nesting box a lot but she never laid an egg. I asked my mom what she thought I should do. My mom told me to try making her swallow oil. So I had my sister hold tiny who was very scared and I opened her beak and i dribbled oil down her throat and massaged it on her vent. It turns out she did NOT have Egg-bind at ALL ! I was so frustrated! But Oil does help lubricate the vent area to make it slippery so the egg can pass.
A chicken stays in her box with out eating than she can't live long.... If you see any unusual behavior than you should try to take a picture of it and post it on :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ So we can help figure out what is wrong or if it was a fluke. If you think you are wasting time and that your bird might be in danger than immediately call the vet to help the poor chicken. I hope my article has covered all your questions on this topic!
