Constipated Chicken, What to do?

[owen.ab]

My chicken is severely constipated and I'm not sure how much more she can take. We soaked her for an hour yesterday and cleaned off her bottom. She is isolated and in doors in a warm cage. We have given her blueberries, pancake, rice, normal feed, and water. She has eaten a little, but has still not passed anything and wont walk around. I'm willing to try anything, please help!!

 

[sherylreno]

Molasses should help you here but not too much. Just a little bit at a time. Mix it into some water first and give her some by the dropper. If she's not better then it might be something else that's doing this.

 

[elmo]

You cleaned off her bottom? Was she pasted up? How old is the chicken?

 

[Patricia Jane]

Are you sure she isn't egg bound? Gently feel hens abdomen for an egg. Handle her craefully to do this. You don't want the egg to break inside of her. Next, check the hen's vent to see if the egg is lodged within reach. If you feel an egg, submerge her bottom in a warm (not hot) bath for at least 30 min. This will help her vent area to relax. Speak gently to her and massage her belly in the direction of the vent. She should start calm down and begin to relax. This method is done several times a day. Place her (if you can) in a wire cage bottom and place a basin of steamy water beneath it. The water should be warm enough to provide steam but not hot enought to burn. Provide a heat lamp with a sheet or towel to retain the moisture. Monitor the heat with a thermometer and keep the temp warm. Do not exceed 102. Provide fresh water. The moist heat method should work in a few hours. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[glucke]

i heard molasses works well on chicks but i´ve never tried it.here is a link http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html . if you scroll down you´ll find directions on how to use it. good luck!

 

[pattywac3]

I have a teenager hen who has never laid an egg yet who is severely constipated! I did a warm bath. I soaked her butt. I felt inside her and she was bound up with grass and cracked corn. I dug out what I could with my finger lubricated and a glove on. She strains, makes a weird noise, and her rectum protrudes outward. Drops of blood are dripping out now when she strains. She doesn't drink much if any. Not eating her food. She did eat a small piece of raw corn on the cob. I have her in a dog crate on my back porch. I don't know what to do for her.

 

[henbee]

Hi. I have helped many constipated chickens. I got advice from a man who is a chicken expert and I have used it numerous times and it hasn't failed. I apply very warm compresses to the vent and surrounding area for about 10-15 minutes per session. Then I lubricate the hen's vent with vaseline (I wear a glove and use my pinky finger) and let her go. I do this 1 - 2 times per day for about 5 - 7 days. The hen lays on her tummy on my daughter's lap with a lightweight towel over face to help keep her calm. Additionally,
We put SAV-A-CHICK probiotics and electrolytes in the hen's water for 3-5 days. I'm off to go do this for one of my hens now. Maybe someone can tell me why they get constipated so easily in the first place. Wood shavings? Pine needles? Could eating these be the culprit?

 

[Fsandy]

hi
I have a chicken with the same problem..Can't walk ,eats very little and I give her water with a dropper. i will get some gaterade
for electrolytes and some molasses and Vaseline and try the warm water and stuff. its been a hard week. ill let you know how it goes.
thx
Frank

 

[pallinore]

I think I have a severely constipated chicken (I'm hoping it's constipation). I went away for the weekend and when I came back I noticed she had a floppy purple comb and was lethargic with a diarrhea messy bottom. I picked her up and her belly is big, hard and lumpy. I gave her a warm epsoms salt bath and checked her cloaca - which was clear. I gave her about 300mg of calcium in honey water thinking she might be egg bound, but I read up on anatomy and I don't think it's that. There are lumps that might be eggs in her abdomen, but they are very lumpy. 4 things I think it might be is internal laying, ascites, massive worm load (I haven't seen any worms) or extremely bad constipation. Her belly is not hot. She was lethargically walking and eating before the bath, but has only been lying still since then. She did have enough energy to fight the bath a little. Breathing is fine, eyes are clear, waddles look good. She's holding her head and tail up. She only pooped a tiny bit of light green and white diarrhea from yesterday evening to this morning. She's not straining to lay, and is walking more like a duck than a penguin.
I plan on giving her some molasses water tonight, anything else I can do for her?

 

[Fsandy]

I had this happen to two of my girls after a neighbor fed then snails and long grass.
I tried everything . Had to put the first girl down and the second passed on her own.
With isolation and hand feeding I stretched their lives by a couple of months. Even took them to vets.