Hey guys, I am relatively new to chickens. I am a vet tech and my office does see and treat chickens but wanted to get some opinions here. I've only worked at this practice a few months and come from small animal medicine.
I have 8 month old hens (and one rooster), they've been laying for a few months. Every night they roost in their branches together. 2 nights ago one of my orpingtons wouldn't come out of her lay box and stayed in there all night with no egg. She gets ruffled and chirps when I go in there. Her cloaca also pulsates. I could NOT palpate an egg though so I was confused whether she was eggbound. The next morning she was still in her box, I could palpate an egg so i figured, great things are moving. I took her our of her box to examine her, put her in the coop. She ate and ran around then went back into her box, she was in there all day til 5pm when she laid an egg, came out and ate and socialized and then when back into her lay box to sit on her egg.
Im confused whether shes having difficulty laying or shes broody. Does the laying an egg yesterday mean she's not egg bound? I'm worried she's going to starve to death or dehydrate cause she barely comes out of her "apartment"
Should I take her to work for x rays?
I have 8 month old hens (and one rooster), they've been laying for a few months. Every night they roost in their branches together. 2 nights ago one of my orpingtons wouldn't come out of her lay box and stayed in there all night with no egg. She gets ruffled and chirps when I go in there. Her cloaca also pulsates. I could NOT palpate an egg though so I was confused whether she was eggbound. The next morning she was still in her box, I could palpate an egg so i figured, great things are moving. I took her our of her box to examine her, put her in the coop. She ate and ran around then went back into her box, she was in there all day til 5pm when she laid an egg, came out and ate and socialized and then when back into her lay box to sit on her egg.
Im confused whether shes having difficulty laying or shes broody. Does the laying an egg yesterday mean she's not egg bound? I'm worried she's going to starve to death or dehydrate cause she barely comes out of her "apartment"
Should I take her to work for x rays?
At this point I would just monitor her. Sounds like she is broody to me.
