Internal Layer?

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JenniferK

JenniferK

Songster
12 Years
May 7, 2007
121
3
141
Northern California
I have a three year old RIR hen and noticed on Saturday that she had a really poopy bottom. In the evening when I went out to shut them in the hen house, she was very lethargic and just wanted to squat, so I brought her in the house. I read what I could find about egg bound hens, and did the warm bath and mineral oil on the vent. Sunday she had another bath and part of a Tums crushed in water. She hasn't had any interest in her normal food, but she will eat bits of cheese, and yesterday I gave her some oatmeal which she ate fairly readily and then drank some water on her own. She had another bath yesterday too, and her bottom is still a poopy, curdled looking mess, and the poop I'm finding in the shavings is green. Now I'm thinking maybe she is an internal layer? If she were egg bound, would she be dead by now? And if she is an internal layer, is there anything I can do? She actually seems alert and her eyes are bright, but she definitely doesn't want to move around much.
 
I think she would be squishy if it was internal. does she look bloated or feel squishy?

I will look it up, but I think that is the signs of it.
 
the poop of an internal layer isn't green, but watery white and yellow. I don't think that is what is going on.

Hopefully someone with experience in other things like worms and other possibilities will stop by.

In the meantime, can you tell us anything else, like when was the last time she laid an egg, what has she been eating, how are the other birds, is she roosting at night, are her wings drooping, is her tail down, and the question already asked, is her abdomen swollen and warm?

You can give her vitamins and electrolytes in her water, as well as scrambled egg and yogurt. She needs to be kept warm, so bring her in the house in a quarantine cage or rubbermaid container, or even a laundry basket. Sick hens do better when they are not cold.

Keep us posted.
 
Well the poop in the shavings was green, but she just pooped in front of me and it was watery white and yellow. She *may* have laid on Sat. morning, but I couldn't say for sure, as she's one of nine. The others all seem fine. On Saturday her wings were very droopy and she was pumping her tail, but now she's not as much, and I would almost say she's looking better -- at least not so droopy. I kept feeling her abdomen for something hard (egg) but it just seemed squishy. I didn't noticed that it was strikingly warm, but it did seem a little distended. She's been in the house since Saturday so at least she's staying warm...

Thank you so much for the quick responses! We lost a hen about a year and a half ago to egg binding (I think) and it was so frustrating to call all the vets in the area and have none that will see a chicken. I'm going to check out the article that tamelroy posted -- thanks again.
 
If her poop is watery and white, and her abdomen is distended and squishy and her wings have been drooping, I would start her on a course of Pen G injections.

eta - this is a link to my own experience with internal laying and Egg Yolk Peritonitis. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=258560
There is a lot of detail on injections and such, if you have time. If not, just ask the questions, and we'll try to answer.

good luck!
fl.gif
 
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I let her out for an hour or so while I cleaned up her box and she pecked and scratched around like almost her normal self. I gave her one more bath just because it makes her more pleasant to have in the house, and noticed that the area under her vent does seem pretty puffy and a little warm. Is EYP the same thing as internal layer? Also, I went to the feed store and picked up what they had which may or may not be helpful. I'm not set up for penicillin injections, but I do have Duramycin-10 (tetracycline hydrochloride soluble powder). It's definitely geared toward large numbers of animals, so does anyone have info on how much I should use for one chicken? It's not just a math thing -- they recommend different levels for different animals and different diseases, but there's nothing specific to my hen's problem.
 
Steffanie, I read the 25 pages of the thread on your experience with Paris, and I'm pretty speechless. You definitely made a heroic effort to save her, and I am so impressed with how thorough you were and how well you documented everything. I sure appreciate the information.

My girl, Amanda, is strangely better than she was without any additional intervention beyond bringing her in the house, the baths, and a crushed Tums. I let her out for a few hours today and she acted much like herself, if a little slower. If you didn't look at her hind end you'd think she was perfectly fine. But it's been 5 days with no egg, and still the super poopy bottom and she hasn't wanted any treats today, although I do think she foraged outside -- her crop felt pretty full and she pooped more. It looks like the swelling has gone down a little too.

So now my dilemma is, do I give her the Baytril I picked up from the vet today? He gave me tablets, and I'm not sure how I will get them in her if she's not eating treats. If I crush them and mix them in liquid, can I just hold her and squirt them in her mouth? I remember hearing you have to be careful not to drown birds by doing that, but I'm not sure if that applies to chickens...
 

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