do i just watch her die?? i feel helpless

[augiedranch]

i just feel helpless... i think i have an egg bound hen.. however, i do not feel anything!! i dont feel a egg in the stomach area or vent area..

her vent is kinda puckering.. and moving kinda winking i guess is the way to describe it.. is this normal? she is eating and drinking great... she had alot of poop build up on her vet area, but i cleaned it.. water bathed her.. and there is no discharge,, and no noticible discomfort.. well, except when i am stickin my fingers around in places that they shouldnt be!. i would absolutely take her to a vet if there was one. there just isnt. i know more than the vets around here do, (about chickens that is) they said id have better luck than they would.. i did go buy some saline, and hopefully it might help..

i just feel so helpless,, just waiting and watching for my fav cute sweet lil hen to die.. im scared.. im not the best person when it comes to death...

 

[sammi]

you can try sitting her on a heated towel or pad..in a dim quiet place for a while..
the heat helps to relax the muscles..
some people set then in a sink of warm water..

sometimes a boost of calcium helps..

are you sure she's eggbound?
what are her symptoms?(other then the puckering)
is she staying or sitting in a nest?
is she walking like a penguin with tail down?

 

[augiedranch]

shes acting normal.. not really walking weird..

i just kept noticing he in the nest for about two days,, but when i went that eventing to collect the eggs,her egg hasnt been there.. the first day i was like,, maybe a snake got it,, then the second day,, i was like,, i swear i saw her in the nest earlier today but no egg,,,

then her butt had a bunch of poop all over it... she is eating whatever i put infront of her.. she is free range and fed purina laying mash crumbles free choice.. i really hope she isnt egg bound.. ive never even looked at the vent of my critters before, so i dont know what its sopose to look like..

this is sad..

 

[Katy]

Is it possible she's going broody? If she's eating and drinking normally and not acting like she's having any discomfort I doubt that she's egg bound. They usually stand around hunched up with their tail down when that's going on.

 

[augiedranch]

well,, shes a golden polish.. i didnt think they went broody..

oh my gosh! how silly of me putting her through all of that torture,,, i really hope she is broody..

how can i test it to see if she is?

 

[sammi]

if she is eating and drinking as usual..
and active and alert..
doesn't seem hunched or distressed...
I'd just watch her..
just keep the vent clear..

there is no harm in trying to the heated pad or warm water..

chickens don't lay eggs every day..
they lay a "clutch" (a certain number of eggs) and take a break for a couple days.

could she be broody?

 

[ruby]

could she be going in to a molt?

 

[Redfeathers]

Honestly my buff orpington does that from time to time, and then presto she starts to lay normaly again. The "winking" vent is normal. If she isn't straining or acting sick, then I doubt she is egg bound. They stand really funny sometimes when an egg is stuck or if they are prolapsing they act strangely too.... I think you should just observe her and if she isn't acting like she is in distress, then you can calm your worries. If you don't see a prolapse out of her vent then you are probably OK

 

[Katy]

Any chicken is capable of going broody, it's just that some breeds are more likely to than others.

If she keeps setting in the nest box and makes "growling" noises when you mess with her she's gone broody.

 

[augiedranch]

no, shes not molting.

well, now that u mention it,, she kinda has had her tail down today... umm, but i also hve been messing with her rear end aot today... so i guess ill see whats going on tomorrow.. she ate two scrambled eggs, and her laying mash.. and drank alot.. i put some sugar in the water, just to give her a extra boost... she sits on my lap just fine, like usual.. i just dont know.. ive only had chickens almost three years,, so im still pretty new at all of this.. ive only had one ever go broody...