Egg bound hen but can't feel an egg :(

[akauerauf]

Hi there,

I'm pretty sure our hen is egg bound. Has all the usual symptoms and is very uncomfortable but when I insert a lubricated finger in to her vent, I can not feel an egg anywhere. Up, down, left, right nothing. Has anyone possibly had this happen before?? Her vent area is quite distended but not prolapsed.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi there,

I'm pretty sure our hen is egg bound. Has all the usual symptoms and is very uncomfortable but when I insert a lubricated finger in to her vent, I can not feel an egg anywhere. Up, down, left, right nothing. Has anyone possibly had this happen before?? Her vent area is quite distended but not prolapsed.
Thanks in advance.

Can you post some photos?

Is the abdomen swollen as well?

You can give her a soak in warm epsom salts bath, give her some extra calcium like a TUMS or liquid calcium. Keep her in a quiet place so you can monitor her, make sure she is drinking.

 

[akauerauf]

Can you post some photos?

Is the abdomen swollen as well?

You can give her a soak in warm epsom salts bath, give her some extra calcium like a TUMS or liquid calcium. Keep her in a quiet place so you can monitor her, make sure she is drinking.

Hi thanks so much for the reply!

Her abdomen is not really swollen but it is quite hard. She is still eating, drinking and pooing. This morning it looks even worse, here are some pictures:

We are giving her a warm bath every two hours for 25mins with Epsom salts. We are giving her calcium in the form of crushed calcium carbonate tablets mixed in to a little yogurt. We have tried applying lube through the vent multiple times but the strange thing is that I can't feel an egg nor does my finger go anywhere but down in to her large intestine.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Eggcessive ?

Poor thing, that is distended. I'm sure she is quite uncomfortable.

Is the vent protruding at all?

I have never seen one swollen that high on their back end before. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's swollen above the vent as well(?)

My best guess would be tumor, cancer or abscess, I'm not sure what course of treatment may help. Usually antibiotic treatment is not that successful in issues like this.

Hopefully someone else can come up with a better answer than I can.

 

[Eggcessive]

I haven't seen pictures of that either. I have seen other hens with large bulges below the vent (I have one with one now) but not the sort of seen in your picture. Has she been straining to pass her droppings, or been dehydrated? Roosters will occasionally get a distended vent from constipation. I wish that I could help, but maybe others can chime in. Sometimes when a chicken dies, we can do a necropsy to look inside for what might have been the problem. It can be helpful to others to take pictures and post them. Let us know what happens.

 

[rebrascora]

How long is it since she last laid an egg. My guess would be that that has been brewing for months and I would say possibly internal laying or a tumour if it's hard or ascites if it's more like a water balloon. The prognosis is not good and I would be inclined to euthanize her before too long if she was mine. I would also encourage you to open her up and have a look and perhaps take some photos if she does die, although I appreciate it can be very difficult when you are emotionally attached.

I hope I am wrong but I think you may have to make a difficult decision with this one.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[akauerauf]

Hi all.
Just a quick update. Last night I was inspecting the area again and found that by gently tapping the bulge it sounded hollow. We continued with the bathing and applying cream for the swelling. This morning again I tried tapping it and confirmed that it definitely was hollow. We then pierced the bulge with a hyperdermic needle and a LOT of gas came out. The whole bulge has now disappeared but the vent is still a bit stretched and swollen. The hen regained her colour and has been quite perky since. We are still keeping her separated from the flock for tonight and will see how she is in the morning. Will keep you posted on the progress but for now it seems that it was not a stuck egg that was the problem. Fingers crossed! Thank you again for all your feedback.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi all.
Just a quick update. Last night I was inspecting the area again and found that by gently tapping the bulge it sounded hollow. We continued with the bathing and applying cream for the swelling. This morning again I tried tapping it and confirmed that it definitely was hollow. We then pierced the bulge with a hyperdermic needle and a LOT of gas came out. The whole bulge has now disappeared but the vent is still a bit stretched and swollen. The hen regained her colour and has been quite perky since. We are still keeping her separated from the flock for tonight and will see how she is in the morning. Will keep you posted on the progress but for now it seems that it was not a stuck egg that was the problem. Fingers crossed! Thank you again for all your feedback.

Very interesting.

Please do keep us updated.

 

[CluckerCottage]

Try giving your girl some plain yogurt which will help in the intestines.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi all.
Just a quick update. Last night I was inspecting the area again and found that by gently tapping the bulge it sounded hollow. We continued with the bathing and applying cream for the swelling. This morning again I tried tapping it and confirmed that it definitely was hollow. We then pierced the bulge with a hyperdermic needle and a LOT of gas came out. The whole bulge has now disappeared but the vent is still a bit stretched and swollen. The hen regained her colour and has been quite perky since. We are still keeping her separated from the flock for tonight and will see how she is in the morning. Will keep you posted on the progress but for now it seems that it was not a stuck egg that was the problem. Fingers crossed! Thank you again for all your feedback.

It never dawned on me, that it could be a ruptured abdominal air sac (Subcutaneous Emphysema). Usually see this in the neck. back and/or chest.
Most common cause is illness or injury. Letting the air out was the correct thing to do. Keep watch on her, sometimes you may need to administer some antibiotics (Tetracycline or something similar) to prevent any secondary infection from the needle piercing.

Keep us posted.

http://www.ijasvm.com/ijasvmadmin/upload/IJASVM_5113cbc51d31b.pdf
http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/explore/embryology/day15/how.html