- Oct 18, 2010
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Almost 2 weeks ago (Sunday July 15) I found my prettiest red hen, Ginger, lying on the floor of her coop. It was very hot and I put ice packs in the coop to cool things down. She looked worse at bedtime so I brought her in the house and made a chicken hospital in the guest bathroom. She huddled in the corner of her new box and wouldn't eat or drink. I wrote the forum for advice and other stories and "cures". Seemed like egg bound since she was panting and from time to time would lift her tail and her vent was pulsating continuously. A couple of days went by. I fed her by hand - scrambled egg, tofu, watermelon. I gave her warm baths and massaged her tummy. All things learned from the forum. She got a little stronger and now would stand and try to release an egg or whatever. I finally went to an online vet (no chicken vets nearby). He instructed me on how to put a finger inside her and feel for an egg. No egg to be felt. So he opined that she had released an egg (or more) into her abdomen. This is fatal sooner or later. I now treated the chicken hospital like a chicken hospice. But on Wednesday July 18 she passed an egg - broken and smashed but it came out on the floor of the box.
She continued to get a little stronger so I took her outside a few days later for a little walk about. She lasted about 5 minutes then slowly dropped to her huddled position. The next day she lasted 20 minutes and I took her to where she could see the rest of the flock (6 total). By last Saturday she was running and eating and looking quite normal and I took her to the run and in the evening she climbed up the ramp into the coop to roost with the others. I segregated her for a couple of days since one of the hens (the one she used to pick on) started chasing her - pay back I guess. She has been fully integrated since last Sunday. Today she went into her nest box. I was very worried that she would end up stuck again. I watched for a while but couldn't stand the suspense. I locked the other hens out of the run so she would be undisturbed (they have a woods and pasture connected to the run and coops) When I checked in an hour later she was no longer in the box. I expected to see her dead on the floor. BUT - there was a beautiful egg in her nest! And she was in the other coop munching away heartily at her feed. I cannot tell you how relieved I am. It is amazing how a little sick chicken can become such a factor in one's life! Thanks to everyone on this forum and all the archived information that guided me and Ginger through. Good luck to all with sick chickens. Sometimes there is a happy ending.
She continued to get a little stronger so I took her outside a few days later for a little walk about. She lasted about 5 minutes then slowly dropped to her huddled position. The next day she lasted 20 minutes and I took her to where she could see the rest of the flock (6 total). By last Saturday she was running and eating and looking quite normal and I took her to the run and in the evening she climbed up the ramp into the coop to roost with the others. I segregated her for a couple of days since one of the hens (the one she used to pick on) started chasing her - pay back I guess. She has been fully integrated since last Sunday. Today she went into her nest box. I was very worried that she would end up stuck again. I watched for a while but couldn't stand the suspense. I locked the other hens out of the run so she would be undisturbed (they have a woods and pasture connected to the run and coops) When I checked in an hour later she was no longer in the box. I expected to see her dead on the floor. BUT - there was a beautiful egg in her nest! And she was in the other coop munching away heartily at her feed. I cannot tell you how relieved I am. It is amazing how a little sick chicken can become such a factor in one's life! Thanks to everyone on this forum and all the archived information that guided me and Ginger through. Good luck to all with sick chickens. Sometimes there is a happy ending.
