☛*PICS-Elderly hen was EGG BOUND w/2 eggs; now can't stand or walk it's been more than 2 weeks! :(

[consciousvoice63]

My oldest hen who is about 8-10 years old was egg bound with possibly two eggs(is that even possible) and after she managed to push the eggs out she hasn't been able to stand or walk; she hasn't been able to walk for two weeks and three days.

(I have several questions at the bottom of the page. )

Treatment:
I've been medicating(injection) her with Penicillin G Procaine, every other day or the next day for a week. In addition I've given her (Durvet) vitamin water. The food she's been eating is scratch and tuna. I tried enticing her to eat layer mash mixed with the scratch but she still refuses and thrashes out the mash with her beak as she sorts out the scratch.

Progress:
The first week she was doing fine but now going on the second week she seems to be only stabilized. Now she doesn't look good because her comb is purplish and dry and her face looks pale (see third pic below).All this time I've been contemplating about putting her to sleep but I haven't given up because she hasn't stopped fighting for her life as she's shown that she wants food and water and attempts to summon her strength to lift herself up, and I don't want her pass away.

When she was egg bound:
At the time when she was egg bound, she could not get up so I willfully helped her throughout the painful episode.
I found her helplessly sprawled across the coop in the morning. The previous night the temperature dropped dramatically and so I'm thinking that this might have triggered it.
When I realized she was egg bound within 15 minutes, I immediately soaked her lower region in luke warm water for 20 minutes. I only soaked her for twenty minutes and then placed her in a roomy dog crate with hay for bedding and a towel inside my bathroom with the wall heater on. As she dried, I gently pat dried her feathers. Then 10 minutes after the eggs came out. I was so relieved and shocked to have found another egg! This is the fist time she has had any complications. She throbbed the two eggs at once. The first egg that she laid had a normal, hard shell. But the second one was extremely soft and had no form to it. The following day her poop was noticeably yellow and as the times goes by her droppings become less and less yellow.

MY QUESTIONS:
●Is there a chance that an egg could have broke inside her the very next day???
●Is there a change she will still make it?
●Should I keep medicating with the Penicillin G Procaine?
●Can a avian veterinarian actually diagnose, cure, or help her in any way w/o exploiting her for the sake of cash?


Your help and advice will be greatly appreciated by my hen and me. Thank you.

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu59/perpetual63/DSCN5266.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu59/perpetual63/DSCN5264.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu59/perpetual63/DSCN5268.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu59/perpetual63/DSCN5269.jpg

 

[consciousvoice63]

Can she be afflicted by (EYP)egg yolk peritonitis?

 

[consciousvoice63]

Bump-----

I hope I get some replies tomorrow. Good night everyone and good luck with your chickens.

 

[Judy]

I'm so sorry.

I'm afraid you're not getting answers because no one knows. And I'm afraid it will turn out to be internal layer (egg yolk peritonitis) or a cancer, or at any rate, something going on in the oviduct or ovary that you can't fix. Occasionally a vet will do a hysterectomy -- not cheap, and not really tolerated very well even by a younger, healthier chicken. Even if she's just repeatedly laying soft shelled eggs, and they are building up inside, a hysterectomy would probably be the only effective treatment.

Just guesswork, of course, from reading here for a looong time.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/79443/tell-me-about-your-internal-layers

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/362422/drained-a-hens-abdomen-rest-in-peace-olivia-11-5-10

 

[klmclain1]

The Pen-G should be given for 4 days in a row...then stopped. Over that is too much and if it hasn't cleared up the issue by then, it probably won't...btw, this is my opinion. You may get a different one from someone more knowledgeable! This is just my experience. When one of my girls had EYP, I gave her the 4 day doseage. After that, she quit laying for a good while ( a couple of months) although it was over the winter so I'm not sure how much was due to winter and how much due to illness/treatment. Her comb and wattles also kinda pale, shriveled and were hard. 3 months later and her comb is big and beautiful and much prettier than her sisters!

I wonder how "backed up" your girl became while those two eggs were stuck. The whole process is like a factory with multiple eggs in various stages of the process at any one time. Due to her advanced age, I would think things could be going haywire in her laying system. I wish I could give you advice on how to help, but other than continuing warm baths and encouraging expulsion via belly massages, I don't know what else to do.

This will bump you up.

 

[consciousvoice63]

Thank you for replying.


I thought so as this is a difficult topic to go through. Do you know what are the chances that she'll become an internal layer, and how does this condition develop? Is it over time or when the hen can't successfully pass an egg? In her case, it was the next day.
If she does get surgery, I don't she'll make it because she's really old and weak so surgery might not be a first option. I was hoping that she would overcome this and gain her ability to walk again, but it doesn't seem that she's going to recover. The major thing that makes me doubt she'll get is her inability to walk.

''Just guesswork, of course, from reading here for a looong time.''
Yeah, it does seem that it is. :/ ?

Thanks for the links I'm going to read them right now.

 

[consciousvoice63]

 

[consciousvoice63]

Does anyone know why she can't walk? Did she strain so much that now she's paralyzed?

Today she's doing well. Her face doesn't look as pale and she still has her appetite.
Tomorrow will mark the 3rd week that she hasn't been able to walk or stand. I'm thinking about putting her down, but I'm still impatiently waiting to see improvement.
What do you think I should do?

 

[Pyxis]

I don't know if you have an avian veterinarian already, but they can help chickens, and if you find the right one, they aren't always going to overcharge just because it's a chicken or an exotic bird. My avian veterinarian, who I've gone to for multiple years for my parrots, is very reasonable. My parrots get a checkup every year for $50. Once my budgie got beak mites, and he treated both my budgies, one as a catch-all in case he had contracted it too, for $60 for a month of treatment.

I would say locate your nearest avian veterinarian, and call them. Ask to speak directly to the doctor, if they see chickens and ducks (mine does) and describe what's happening. They may be able to give you an idea of what's going on from your description, and probably a ballpark figure for testing and/or treatment, and give you options as to what to do. Mine has always been very honest, and I'm sure if euthanasia is the best for her, they'll tell you so.

Here's a handy link to find an avian veterinarian.

As an aside, I'm in school to become a veterinarian. We're not all just after your money

 

[consciousvoice63]

I don't know if you have an avian veterinarian already, but they can help chickens, and if you find the right one, they aren't always going to overcharge just because it's a chicken or an exotic bird. My avian veterinarian, who I've gone to for multiple years for my parrots, is very reasonable. My parrots get a checkup every year for $50. Once my budgie got beak mites, and he treated both my budgies, one as a catch-all in case he had contracted it too, for $60 for a month of treatment.
I would say locate your nearest avian veterinarian, and call them. Ask to speak directly to the doctor, if they see chickens and ducks (mine does) and describe what's happening. They may be able to give you an idea of what's going on from your description, and probably a ballpark figure for testing and/or treatment, and give you options as to what to do. Mine has always been very honest, and I'm sure if euthanasia is the best for her, they'll tell you so.
Here's a handy link to find an avian veterinarian.
As an aside, I'm in school to become a veterinarian. We're not all just after your money

I do have a new veterinarian place that treats chickens. The other place I went to was expensive as they were charging $65 for the exam (to see the patient) and if I decided to euthanize my chicken it would cost $70. But I understand why the prices are so high because they need a fair income. My problem is I can't afford it on the spot.
Your vet is awesome. I'm sure if I keep taking my chickens to a veterinarian when we need help eventually he/she will discount the price. How long have you gone to the same veterinarian for?

Okay! This sounds like a great idea. I hope they just don't tell me, ''We would have to the him/her to know what's going on...'' without at least talking about what's causing this to happen. Thank you for the link.
Oh nice! haha yeahh I know...