Egg bound hen with damaged vent

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that I have just read this. I am glad that you got the egg out. I haven’t dealt with cloacitis or vent damage before. I wonder if she might have had a prolapse before and possibly got pecked around her vent. There are some other conditions that include papillomas, fungus infection and others. This article has some interesting reading:
https://www.dvm360.com/view/cloacal-disorders-and-diseases-proceedings

You could try to get to her temporarily stop laying eggs by placing her in the dark for 16 hours a day for a few days.

 

[DobieLover]

So glad you got it out, Tonya. I'm sure that was incredibly stressful for both of you.

Yes. It sure was.
Now I'll just worry about what to do for the next egg coming. I certainly can't make a routine of what I just did.
She seems much better and I know she would prefer to be out with the flock. I'm going to syringe as much fluid into her as I can and put her back in the coop.

 

[DobieLover]

By all means, George! Seneca's saga is far from over.
Seneca had to be brought back in just after dawn this morning as she was straining and grunting in pain again. I assumed the next egg was there.
It wasn't. She was horribly constipated. I had to use my finger and a 10 cc syringe to flush her out over and over again. We got a lot out and she seemed much relieved.
Her crop had not emptied so I gave her 20 mls of water via syringe (painfully slow - I've ordered size 18 French catheters and 60 cc catheter tip syringes), massaged her crop and crated her. I offered her water after 30 minutes in the crate and she drank another 15-20 mls on her own. She did this for me several times during her house visit.
She's back in the coop. I just checked on her and she's very active and vocal with no signs of distress. Her crop is down and I can feel she's drunk more water as the contents are thinner.
I didn't have the heart to throw her in the light deprivation bay. She spent a good 2.5 hrs in the crate with a towel over it all the way around. She'll go in tomorrow before I leave for work. Who ever I see roosted next to her will go in with her for company and to keep her calmer.
She'll be released just after noon.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may be able to get away with breaking it and then help her get the shell out.
Think it all through what you might need before you start. I'm thinking tweezers or something to get ahold of the shell - you sure don't want it reversing once the egg is broken.

 

[casportpony]

I've done the egg breaking a couple of times. I start by poking the end of the egg with a needle and sucking out as much egg as possible. Then I collapse the shell with my index finger in the shell and gently remove the shell.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

DL I think at this point, remove the egg any way you can. Ideally syringing some of the contents out through a hole, but if you don't have the supplies, then break and remove. She's not in good shape. After it's out, then deal with possibility of contents leaking into the oviduct with antibiotics.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Will her vent stretch over time if she keeps laying, or is there scar tissue that would prevent stretching?
If that is the case (no stretching over time), would opening the vent a small amount (enough for the egg to pass) through an episiotomy type incision on either side of the vent be of help when the hen is passing an egg?
You would have to prevent her passing an egg while she is healing, as well as keep the area really clean and put her on antibiotics (I would think).
Hoping to become more informed should I find myself in this situation. Thanks everyone, I really learned a lot on this thread and congrats to OP and her hen.

 

[casportpony]

FWIW, I asked about tubing because it's been my experience that when one can tube fluids or give fluids subcutaneously, & give calcium gluconate, the hens are able to pass the egg most of the time. I was not suggesting tubing food.

 

[sourland]

I agree, the egg needs to come out ASAP. If she were my hen I would poke a hole, suck out the contents, collapse the shell, & remove the shell. Once the shell was out I would start her on Baytril for infection and Meloxicam for pain and swelling, and I would tube a bunch of fluids to her too.

I'd choose this as the immediate course of action. 'Modifying' the vent could be put off for a bit.

 

[DobieLover]

Give her a FULL calcium tablet. It will help with the contractions.
I know it's a big pill, but she'll swallow it whole. Just pull on her
wattles and she'll open her mouth, then shove it in.
If you have a syringe, shoot some mineral oil or substitute, fully inside her vent. Also lubricate her vent generously with the oil. This will help her pass the egg.

She can't pass the egg because her vent was damaged and healed small. I'd already applied copious amounts of coconut oil. The vent won't stretch.