Egg-bound hen having complications. Please Help

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In the Brooder
Apr 26, 2018
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We have a 5 month old BlackStar (Ginger) that just started laying. Her first egg came out sideways and caused her intestine to hang out. We got the egg out and gave her a warm epson salt bath. Following day she laid her second egg and this time and again egg and intestine were handing out (pic below) but this time egg was stuck between exit hole and a cut that developed right next to exit hole. I gently directed the egg to the exit hole and it popped right out.
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Again we gave her a warm epson salt bath and cleaned the area as best as we could. The next two days she didn’t lay and we continued the bath and cleaning and applied a bit of peroxide over the area. She’s not pooping normal, but she still eats well. Area now looks like an infected crust or scar has formed. I’m worried and would like to know what to do next. She’s not sleeping with the flock (7) but the free range all day together.
This is what area now looks like.
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Is this something I can take care myself or do I need to find a vet? Will she make it??? Thank you in andvance for your help and time.
 
If you can find an avian vet who understands reproductive issues in chickens, that would be the best route.

At this moment, though, there are some things you can do. Continue the Epsom salt soaks to debride the skin lesions around the exterior of the vent. Smooth on antibiotic ointment or coconut oil to keep the area moist and help keep bacteria under control.

If she isn't pooping, it may be because the poop is getting trapped in the prolapse. You will need to glove up and swipe a finger around the inside of the cloaca, removing any trapped fecal matter. You will need to do this at least twice a day so bacteria doesn't grow in there.

You can give her a calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D3, one a day until the situation is resolved, to help her move any stubborn eggs and guard against shell-less eggs which could be a big problem if trapped in her oviduct.

Preparation H may help shrink the prolapsed tissue.
 
It sounds like you've been doing a good job of taking care of her so far. I really don't know much about egg bound hens but I will say that if you haven't already, you should quarantine her, preferably bringing her in the house. This way you can not only keep an eye on her, but prevent the others from pecking the wound and making it worse. A simple dog crate or something similar works just well, with an old towel or paper towels as bedding. Make sure she's eating and drinking plenty, and try putting electrolytes in her water. If she's not interested in regular food, you can mix it with a little bit of water (they tend to like that better). You can also try feeding her boiled egg yolks which contain a lot of nutrients that will be good for her. However, I would try to take her to an avian vet if there's one in your area. Best of luck to you and your hen.
 
Thanks for the info. everyone, very much appreciated. The area looked a little better after todays bath/cleaning. It looks like there’s a bit of damaged intestine or skin that has remained outside and is slowly drying up. There’s nothing blocking her from pooping, just that bit of skin that’s flapping over and keeps getting dirty. Rubbed her down with some coconut oil and going to get her some calcium first thing tomorrow. After her bath she ran up with the rest of them and chowed down on some watermelon so I do think she’ll be ok. I’ll also look around for a compitant vet, it’s our first flock so this is all new to us. Sad that she had to go through this with her first egg.

We did find an egg today under the lime tree which would of had to come from either her or our Buff that hasn’t started to lay yet. We had already collected 5 eggs from their boxes. 6th egg was dirty and looked just like the one I pulled out of Ginger a couple days ago so I’m pretty sure it was hers.

Any other advice, help or comments welcome. Thanks again.
 
Sorry about your egg bound pullet. Egg binding and prolapses can happen again, and this can create some damage to the vent, which may purpetuate the problem.

Egg binding occurs sometimes due to too large of an egg, dehydration from not drinking enough water, and low calcium levels. High production hens may be prone to these things. Your pictures are very good to show the prolapse with egg binding, so thank you for posting.

Azygous and others have given good advice. Debridement or scrubbing off any damaged or dead tissue is sometimes necessary with prolapses if they have dried out. That can be done with a wash cloth after soaking in the Epsom salts or soapy water. Always keep the prolapse tissue moist with oil or lubricant. Push it in an hold it for a few minutes until it finally stays in.
 

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