Egg Bound Hen - please advise - photos attached

[marthalazar]

My listless hen turns out to be egg bound. The vet hydrated her and sent her home with antibiotics, calcium supplements and the egg still inside her. It was out of reach.

The next day she was doing much better. She was walking, eating and clucking a little. Towards the end of the day I decided to reach in and see if I could feel the egg. I didn't feel the egg, but almost immediately a 3" rubbery thing popped out. See the photo. I thought it was a malformed egg (shell-less) and decided to cut it open. Sure enough there was yolk inside.

It's now been another day and she's still walking, eating and drinking. I tried putting her in a warm bath yesterday, although I think the water level was too low. Does it have to cover her cloaca? I've read some info about puncturing vs. not puncturing the egg, but her egg isn't far enough down to even feel.

I'm worried that I'm going to "kill her w/ kindness", meaning sticking my finger inside her too much, bathing her, forcing the drugs down her very unwilling throat. Any thoughts and suggestions would be *greatly* appreciated.

Is there a way to coax the egg to come down, or should I continue to wait and hope that weird thing she expelled was the blockage???

 

[joebryant]

I have subscribed to this post because I want to be sure to read all the answer. Two weeks ago I had to have my little black hen, Leontyne, put down because she was suffering because of being egg bound. Sure hope that wierd looking egg's coming out solved your hen's problem.

 

[Peeper7]

WOW

 

[marthalazar]

It's now 2 days later and no egg has popped out. I did an internal exam today and could feel the egg through a layer of tissue. I would love some advice about how to guide it out.

I'm really trying to avoid going back to the vet!!

I've been giving her antibiotics, pain meds, warm/wet compresses on her butt (tried a warm bath a couple of days ago).

She's walking around, eating, etc. I'm just worried about keeping this egg inside of her for so long.

 

[kathyinmo]

Why is she on antibiotics? What is her diet? When you say you feel the egg, is it hard shelled? If so, I would think she would be able to pass it soon.

 

[Whirlwind]

Is she acting normal? Or acting sick? If she is acting normal I would just watch her. I had an egg bound pullet and she

kinda just stood and rocked and sounded like she was moaning. If she is acting sick you could try this. I used KY

jelly and lubbed her up and kept massaging her belly from front to back. Then I left her alone and she laid the egg.

A double yolker and she was just begining to lay. Never had any more problems. There are hens that have this problem

more often. I hope yours does not.

That was a weird egg I bet that was the problem.

 

[marthalazar]

She's on antibiotics because I took her to the vet 4 days ago when she was acting *very* sick. They hydrated her, gave her antibiotics and a pain/muscle medicine and sent me home $300 poorer. The poor girl still had the egg inside (it was too high up for them to get to)

After the vet visit, she has been feeling much better. Walking, eating, clucking. I got the weird egg two days ago and can feel a hard-shelled egg. Today was the first day that my finger inside her could feel the egg (although not directly, as there was tissue between my finger and the egg). I guess I'll wait a bit longer and not stress her out. Her vent is pulsing with what I think are contractions, but otherwise she seems fine.

 

[Peeper7]

if you have a syringe, you can try injecting KY lube right into the vent...can't hurt. poor chook

poor (really) chook's mom....

 

[vnploveschickens]

Make sure she is getting enough calcium. Oyster shell, in a separate dish for free choice feeding. Plain yogurt, the kind with probiotics. Even some crushed up Tums. That seems to help.

Good luck, keep us updated!

 

[marthalazar]

Thanks for the thoughts. I've been giving her 1/2 a Tums in her food. Today's special was Tums with scrambled eggs. I also give her yogurt and oatmeal. Maybe she's holding the egg in because she knows she's getting spoiled.

I thought I remembered someone helping describe how to guide the egg out in this situation, but I couldn't find it in the archives.

I'm also concerned that all of what I'm doing is just stressing her out...