2 yo rhode island red - has symptoms of being egg bound (?)but no egg?

[greenback]

hello all!
I have an almost two year old Rhode Island Red hen. I noticed yesterday afternoon that she was standing almost upright. she didn’t want to run or jump over a ~7in tall board that we have under the door for the run when i let the flock (7 hens) out to free-range. I took her inside, gave her a bath with epsom salts, dried her (with a hairdryer) and put her in a cardboard box with a straw bottom, electrolyte water, and feed with oyster shells. She stayed in a warm dark room all night we me sometimes coming in and massaging this enlarged area beneath her vent but feeling no egg (???).
Gave her another bath + massage this morning - her poops do seem normal.

Help please?

(apologies for large photo size)

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! Can you dose her with calcium citrate twice a day for a week. You can get it very inexpensively at your local Wal Mart or pharmacy.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Have you felt up inside her vent with a gloved finger, to see if there is an egg present? What do you feed, including treats? Have you checked her crop first thing in the morning, before she has any food or water, to see if it empties completely? When is the last time she laid an egg, do you know?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Also, when you say you give her a bath, are you letting her soak in the Epsom salts, and if so for how long? A calcium citrate tablet is a good idea, just pop it in her beak and she will swallow it.

 

[greenback]

@SmiYa0126
@BigBlueHen53

i will order calcium citrate, thanks! is powder dissolved in water okay?

no i have not felt up her vent or checked her crop - she had access to water and food all night so i can check tomorrow.
I don’t know when she laid her last egg, unfortunately.
edit: for clarification, what does checking the crop tell me exactly?i know she‘s eating & drinking, that should not be a problem.

 

[SmiYa0126]

@SmiYa0126
@BigBlueHen53

i will order calcium citrate, thanks! is powder dissolved in water okay?

no i have not felt up her vent or checked her crop - she had access to water and food all night so i can check tomorrow.
I don’t know when she laid her last egg, unfortunately.
edit: for clarification, what does checking the crop tell me exactly?i know she‘s eating & drinking, that should not be a problem.

Tablet is easier and she gets full dose immediately

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@SmiYa0126
@BigBlueHen53

i will order calcium citrate, thanks! is powder dissolved in water okay?

no i have not felt up her vent or checked her crop - she had access to water and food all night so i can check tomorrow.
I don’t know when she laid her last egg, unfortunately.
edit: for clarification, what does checking the crop tell me exactly?i know she‘s eating & drinking, that should not be a problem.

You can get calcium citrate anywhere. Walmart, your local drugstore, etc. No need to order it and wait several days for it to arrive. Just open her beak and put it in, she'll swallow it no problem and then you'll know she got the full dose. Dissolving in water, you won't have that assurance. Don't be scared, she can swallow a mouse or frog whole!

When chickens bed down at night they usually have a pretty full crop and digestion takes place through the night. In the morning the crop should be empty and will feel flat. If not, you know things are not working as they should. Let us know if that's the case and we will guide you from there.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Tablet is easier and she gets full dose immediately

Well sure, state it simply!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Chickens won't eat or drink at night if it's dark. But removing food and water after they roost is a good idea so you can check her crop in the morning before she has a chance to eat or drink before you can get to her.

 

[greenback]

Is there a certain size/dosage amount that i want to give her in a tablet?
@BigBlueHen53