[b][/b]Lost my Australorp tonight - Favorite hen

[Echobabe]

Went to shut the girls up for the night and found my Oksana in a nest box, in egg bound stance and panting. (GRAPHIC ALERT - read further at your own risk!)

I flipped up her tail and saw it looked wet. Ran back up to the house to get a flashlight, towels, etc. to get a better look. Maggots and what looked like diarrhea and possibly old blood. When I rinsed her hind end (lots of maggots were everywhere) it looked like the ova duct had slipped loose, covering the vent, and an egg was jammed tight against that, completely obscurring the vent. I could also feel at least 1 more egg behind there, possibly 2 more. There was also some sort of long tissue 6-8 inches long that came away when I used the towel to clear away the vent area. I'm going to remember the smell for a long time.

Considering all we were looking at (infection, multiple egg bound situation, I'm assuming the tissue was a prolapse, maggots) we decided to put her down rather than try extreme measures that would only make her more miserable. She was my 3rd egg bound hen (out of 8 hens total). We have not had any luck resolving an egg bound hen in the past, I could not put my Oksie through all that.

Thinking back, a few days ago I noticed she had some solid poo stuck on her feathers, which I thought was kind of odd. I cleaned it off of her, gave her vent a quick look and didn't see any obvious problem. But the flies were following her a bit more than the others--I just thought it was because of the poo.

 

[DancingHen]

So sorry for your loss. Poor hen. At least she isn't suffering anymore. It was a kind and unselfish decision on your part not to put her through anymore pain.

 

[bustermommy]

Sorry about your loss.

 

[Sadiew]

So sorry to hear about your poor Oksie.

 

[eggchel]

Wow, 3 egg bound hens out of a flock of 8 is really a lot. Were they all genetically related?

I think that you were wise to put her down. Even when rescued from an egg-bound event or prolapse, those hens often go on to suffer the same thing again.

Terrible for you and your hens ..... Im sorry!


Chel

 

[Echobabe]

Thank you all for your kind replies. This one was my first "patient" - I had to tie splints to her toes (toothpicks!) when she was 2 months old and caught her feet in chicken wire, breaking 2 toes while trying to get loose. Last winter she spent 2 weeks in the house being force fed while I treated her for gapeworm & giardia. She rallied both times and I was grateful. But this was just too much.

I have since read about SWAT and will get some tomorrow and inspect everyone else's rears.

To answer about my 3 being related: no, all different breeds: 1 Barred Rock (Internal layer, peritonitis), 1 RIR eggbound/prolapse coming off her 1st molt (heart attack), and this one Australorp. I remember finding some yolk in the nest box about a week ago. Wondering now if that was from her. For whatever reason I think my hen house is just egg bound unlucky.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

That's so sad. I'm sorry.