Chicken straining but laying and pooping?!

[debbieharry]

Hi eggsperts!

I have a 1.5 year old white Leghorn who is normally very strong and a great layer (I only have two chickens, both the same) who began straining and seemed constipated four days ago - she was still pooping but only small poops that were narrow, as though squeezed through a small opening. She is still laying and the other chicken is fine. They both took a break from laying yesterday, but eggs were normal the days before that and again today. She's not doing the penguin walk of the egg bound, just moving slowly and a bit gingerly and sometimes standing with tail and head down fluffed out, which I know tends to mean discomfort.

I read the advice on here and put out a dish of coconut oil lumps to help loosen her stool (figured they could both have it as it's good for them anyway) but she didn't eat much of it so I have been mixing liquefied coconut oil with warm cooked broccoli for them the past two days, and also put out probiotic yoghurt two of the days which they devoured. I put out some water with ACV as well.

Today she looks a bit better and her poops are more normal now but she is still straining and moving slowly and now doesn't seem to be eating. It's very unusual behaviour for her and I'm getting really worried. I gave her an Epsom salts bath this morning and felt her crop and abdomen - her abdomen felt soft and her crop felt small (and had visibly gone down since yesterday) but had little bumps in it. She's very flighty so I couldn't dry her properly after the bath - it's not freezing here but not hot, so I have put a warm hot water bottle where they dust bathe in the hope that she will find it if she's cold.

Any advice?
Thank you,
Deb

 

[ChicNmom]

Lately, I've been using calcium at the first sign anything internal isn't working as it should. You can't hurt anything and it might help if she's straining to pass anything.
The poop pics look OK.

If food is going through then I would think her gizzard is working properly.

Have you tried some good treats like scrambled eggs?
I have had some not want to eat if they were in pain or discomfort.

 

[debbieharry]

Lately, I've been using calcium at the first sign anything internal isn't working as it should. You can't hurt anything and it might help if she's straining to pass anything.
The poop pics look OK.

If food is going through then I would think her gizzard is working properly.

Have you tried some good treats like scrambled eggs?
I have had some not want to eat if they were in pain or discomfort.

Thanks so much! How do you administer the calcium?

Also I thought she was constipated so I read up on it and one person said it can be caused by having too much protein. Would eggs count as that? I had given them chopped boiled egg and dried mealworms a few times in the past couple of weeks and as those are both protein rich I was worried that might have been what caused it!

 

[ChicNmom]

I thought the poop pics looked normal. I've never had one get constipated from eggs or too much protein that I could tell. If she's eating the eggs I'd stay with it and maybe add some fruit. Watermelon and grapes work well. Or some lettuce.

I just open their beak and pop the calcium pill in. Then keep my hand under their beak so they can't tilt their head down and spit it out.

 

[debbieharry]

I thought the poop pics looked normal. I've never had one get constipated from eggs or too much protein that I could tell. If she's eating the eggs I'd stay with it and maybe add some fruit. Watermelon and grapes work well. Or some lettuce.

I just open their beak and pop the calcium pill in. Then keep my hand under their beak so they can't tilt their head down and spit it out.

She adores egg and the fruits you mention (not at all interested in raspberries or bananas!) so I will try that and the calcium - thank you!

 

[debbieharry]

She seemed a bit better yesterday but this morning her crop is still quite full and feels firm and her back end is still distended. She’s eating, and her comb is red, but she’s getting backed up somehow. @azygous do you maybe have any advice?

 

[azygous]

Is her crop full before she eats?

What do you mean by "her back end is distended"?

Is her comb a dull red or a bright, unnatural cherry red?Compare to the other chickens' combs. Bright cherry red indicates a fever or elevated body temp.

Protein in itself does not cause impactions. If a chicken is impacted, additional food can make it worse, not just protein, but any food. Food without enough fluids available can cause constipation and impaction of the crop.

 

[debbieharry]

Is her crop full before she eats?

What do you mean by "her back end is distended"?

Is her comb a dull red or a bright, unnatural cherry red?Compare to the other chickens' combs. Bright cherry red indicates a fever or elevated body temp.

Protein in itself does not cause impactions. If a chicken is impacted, additional food can make it worse, not just protein, but any food. Food without enough fluids available can cause constipation and impaction of the crop.

By back end is distended I mean her vent is red and swollen (not prolapsed yet). Shewas pooping ok yesterday and laid today but now is straining to poop with nothing coming out and her vent is exposed because the feathers and area below it are hanging down. Her comb is the normal red - looks like her buddy’s. Her crop was down yesterday morning - I could feel little bits of hard stuff but it was small - today it was small but felt full and firm early in the day before she had eaten much. Now it feels soft but large and quite full. Her abdomen is soft. She has water on demand and has been eating (boiled egg with coconut oil devoured enthusiastically) and drinking as far as I know. I can give her another Epsom salts bath today - do you think I should give her molasses? I’m worried she has an obstruction internally at this point, like a tumour or something, because things aren’t getting better.

 

[azygous]

It sounds as if she is obstructed. This obstruction could be a shell-less egg, and yes, two eggs can come down the chute one immediately after the other, or it's a digestive tract obstruction somewhere between the crop and after the gizzard.

It's not easy to tell which it is, so you can treat for both. The reproductive tract obstruction is treated with calcium citrate tablets like this,

one a day into the beak, whole, each day until the issue resolves. The digestive tract obstruction can be treated as you have been. Either type of obstruction can cause the crop to be full and not empty properly.

Does she want to sit in a nest box or is she active and walking about? If she's craving to sit in a nest, an egg obstruction is more likely than a digestive one.

 

[debbieharry]

It sounds as if she is obstructed. This obstruction could be a shell-less egg, and yes, two eggs can come down the chute one immediately after the other, or it's a digestive tract obstruction somewhere between the crop and after the gizzard.

It's not easy to tell which it is, so you can treat for both. The reproductive tract obstruction is treated with calcium citrate tablets like this, View attachment 2561094one a day into the beak, whole, each day until the issue resolves. The digestive tract obstruction can be treated as you have been. Either type of obstruction can cause the crop to be full and not empty properly.

Does she want to sit in a nest box or is she active and walking about? If she's craving to sit in a nest, an egg obstruction is more likely than a digestive one.

Thank you so much for this. She seems to be sitting quite a bit and the rest of the time she is moving about increasingly slowly and looking uncomfortable. I’ll try the calcium citrate!! I’ve never given a chicken a pill before - any tips? Thanks again for your help - I so hate to see her in discomfort...