Egg bound but not sick???

buttertart

Songster
Mar 23, 2017
54
114
111
Callander, ON, Canada
My red layer started walking like a penguin last Friday. I brought her in Epsom salt bath, beefed up calcium for her by crushing calcium supplements i have and put in her food. Dark quiet spot waiting for that egg to lay. Continued on with this Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Well Monday night I had a feel inside I can't feel an egg anywhere but she does have a large hard area down in that area underneath, and she is in permanent penguin position. I vaselined her up good in and out. Tuesday (today) get home from work still no egg. She is not complaining, she is eating, drinking and pooping. How long can she go on like this, I can't put her out in the coop like that with the others. Is there something else could be going on... something else I should be doing. Or is it time to let her go... :(
Thank you
 
How old is your hen? Usually an egg bound hen will be obviously miserable. Reproductive problems in hens, especially over the age of two, are not uncommon. The fact that her abdomen feels hard and bloated suggests a reproductive problem like salpingitis, internal laying, or a cancer. Sometimes it can be hard to diagnose for sure until a necropsy is performed. Some birds can go on for quite some time with these conditions, some will not last long. Those that do last awhile can develop a wide stance and waddle due to the matter buildup in their abdomen. It also puts pressure on their internal organs and can be quite uncomfortable, may cause difficulty breathing, and ascites may also develop (fluid in the abdomen). When I have one like this I leave her with the flock until she's obviously unwell, isolating herself, going off food and water, or getting bullied, and then I don't let her suffer. If vet care is an option for you then an x-ray may help identify the issue.
 
If she is like my Mica, you will eventually get a thing that looks like a giant blood clot coming out of her rear end. My Mica had to be culled.
I have heard something called lash egg. Don't know to much about it. When I had Mica ( she was an Isa Brown) I hadn't even heard of it, so I don't even know if it is treatable.
 
If she is like my Mica, you will eventually get a thing that looks like a giant blood clot coming out of her rear end. My Mica had to be culled.
I have heard something called lash egg. Don't know to much about it. When I had Mica ( she was an Isa Brown) I hadn't even heard of it, so I don't even know if it is treatable.
Lash eggs are caused by salpingitis, an inflammation/infection of the oviduct. It may be treatable with antibiotics if caught early, but most birds hide it so well that it's well advanced before it's symptoms are noticeable. I've read of others who say their birds recovered, I've personally not had one recover from it. Some birds with salpingitis will pass a lash egg, some will not, it will just build up in their abdomen.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I am thinking as well now, more of a growth or tumour in her intestine area and not an egg. Poor thing. I can't put her back up in the coop. It's cold here, most night at least -20 C. She can't get up on the roost with the others to huddle. I am sure she would just freeze to death. The first night I picked her up out of there she was trying to hide behind the galvanized steel tub - the dirt bath, and the coop door area. She would have been frozen to death next morn.
I will see how she does in another few days, but just can't leave her like that. That's no kind of life. If I have to let her go that would be the first one I will have to do that with. Really not looking forward to that decision. :(
 
It is never easy, but sometimes it's the kindest thing to do if they are suffering. I wish you the best, and you will know if it's the right thing to do. :hugs I've lost several birds to reproductive issues, it's frustrating since there is so little that can be done for them.
 

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