Impacted Eggs?

Do eggs ever get stuck in a hen?

I have a hen who looks like she's gone broody but there are no eggs under her and she's been like this for well over a week or two. Is there anything wrong?

Could her egg be impacted?

Hi and How old is your hen? Even if there is nothing for her to set on, she could still be broody. Some broody hens will set with nothing under them at all. "Impacted eggs" is called egg bound, and it does happen. I don't have experience with that, but if you use the search tool, you'll find a lot of people who have posted on the subject. Feel around her abdomen for any lumps or signs that there is an egg in there.

thank you.

This one got broody before and I've tried to feel around her tummy but can't really make out anything.

Just when she does get up, there's nothing under her.

Am a little concerned.

Chickens become egg bound. Often times, when hens are egg bound, their vent will looks really gross. It will be distended, and possibly slimey (white and/or clear slime). The hen will become depressed, and she will stay as stationary as possilbe, waddling when walking. She may also become pale and lose weight. Feel her abdomen, you should be able to feel an egg if she is egg bound. Sometimes shelless eggs get stuck. Those are tricky to fix because you can't feel them and they can't usually be pushed out. Soak her in warm water for a while to relax the muscles, and give her one 200mg Motrin pill (it will reduce swelling). If that doesn't help and if you still feel that she is egg bound, take her to a vet and ask if they can give her a shot of Oxytocin (will cause contractions) and some kind of heavy duty antiinflamitory (medacam is good). Push against the abdomen to force the egg out. If you can see it in the vent, then let the hen do the rest (they'll usually get it out at that point). Breaking the egg is a last resort.

But, like basicliving said, she might still be broody. Good mama hens sit on imaginary eggs. Pains in the butt they are. lol.

Ditto, what mrs Emily said is good sound advice.

Thanks for the info, a little late for me though. I am a total newbie and had no idea what was wrong with my two Guinea hens. They were fine then all of a sudden, the exact same behaviors as you described here. One dies yesterday. The other just now. As I felt the last one over, I felt the lump on her side near her vent, which was gross. We did a bit of an autopsy (I know, morbid - but I had to know why a healthy happy hen just up and died). We found a huge egg stuck near the vent. I mean it was huge. She is a Guinea and this egg was bigger than a large chicken egg…. I feel horrible she and her sister suffered so badly. Is it my fault? Could their feed have been the culprit in them laying such large eggs. I feed them Game bird rations in their run, but they eat the chickens Laying feed all the time when everyone is out and about…

I am a little confused. It is winter time and -11. I would not want to get her wet and put her back with the other chickens.

schoenherr said:

I am a little confused. It is winter time and -11. I would not want to get her wet and put her back with the other chickens.

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The bath tub post was in June so it was warm then. If you need to bathe your hen do it inside and put her in a crate until she is dry, then take her outside....only after completely dry thought.

Our girls a year old. We have one that is pretty dramatic about laying her eggs. She has been sitting on the nest now for at least 16 hours, clucking kind of funny. I'm intimidated by the idea of an impacted egg, but worried if I don't check.