Egg Bound Hen

[Aquatic_blue]

I'm getting a bit concerned about one of my hens. This is my first flock of chickens, have had them for about 2 years and I replayed in my mind one night of the chickens running to me for a treat. One of them was waddling and lately they had seemed broody - sitting on eggs in the coop for extended periods of time, but then they wouldn't hop up to roost at night in their coop. Then it occurred to me - egg bound. I had heard about it, researched it, and realized that's what am trying to help right now.

This chicken has been egg bound for days. I keep going outside and giving at least 2 warm 20-30 minute warm soaks with epsom salts, then drying with a towel, and placing in a quiet place to try to lay. I noticed one of the times that there was some yellow goop stuck below her bottom on her feathers. I dunno if the egg broke inside, or if one came out and there are multiple eggs, but I haven't found any evidence of if she actually laid an egg or not otherwise. She is still pretty swollen underneath - feathers are falling off. I have been trying to give her extra calcium to help. I feel like it isn't even doing anything....is there anything else I can do aside from what I've been doing? I feel a bit helpless at this point , she's probably in pain. She waddles around the yard, but she's unable to hop up onto the roost and has been sleeping on the bottom of the coop. It'd hard for her to sit. She's been eating and drinking still, stools are runny.

 

[All4Eggz]

I'm getting a bit concerned about one of my hens. This is my first flock of chickens, have had them for about 2 years and I replayed in my mind one night of the chickens running to me for a treat. One of them was waddling and lately they had seemed broody - sitting on eggs in the coop for extended periods of time, but then they wouldn't hop up to roost at night in their coop. Then it occurred to me - egg bound. I had heard about it, researched it, and realized that's what am trying to help right now.

This chicken has been egg bound for days. I keep going outside and giving at least 2 warm 20-30 minute warm soaks with epsom salts, then drying with a towel, and placing in a quiet place to try to lay. I noticed one of the times that there was some yellow goop stuck below her bottom on her feathers. I dunno if the egg broke inside, or if one came out and there are multiple eggs, but I haven't found any evidence of if she actually laid an egg or not otherwise. She is still pretty swollen underneath - feathers are falling off. I have been trying to give her extra calcium to help. I feel like it isn't even doing anything....is there anything else I can do aside from what I've been doing? I feel a bit helpless at this point , she's probably in pain. She waddles around the yard, but she's unable to hop up onto the roost and has been sleeping on the bottom of the coop. It'd hard for her to sit. She's been eating and drinking still, stools are runny.

I've never had experience with egg bound hens, because that has never happened to me.
All I can tell you right now is that there are some helpful videos on YT you might want to watch, with help of getting the egg out and such.

Keep us updated, and let us know how it's going.

@Eggcessive
&
@JacinLarkwell
might be able to help..

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds more like she is suffering from a reproductive disorder than egg binding. If you see more of the yellow material in the poop, take a picture. Salpingitis and egg yolk peritonitis are common problems in hens over 2. Waddling, preferring to sit, not roosting, and an enlarged lower belly can be signs. You can insert a clean finger into her vent 2 inches to check for a stuck egg to rule that out. How long ago had she been laying eggs?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't have experience with bound hand besides one that just took a few hours longer than normal

 

[Aquatic_blue]

It sounds more like she is suffering from a reproductive disorder than egg binding. If you see more of the yellow material in the poop, take a picture. Salpingitis and egg yolk peritonitis are common problems in hens over 2. Waddling, preferring to sit, not roosting, and an enlarged lower belly can be signs. You can insert a clean finger into her vent 2 inches to check for a stuck egg to rule that out. How long ago had she been laying eggs?

Thanks for this information!

She is 2 1/2 years old (along with the other 2 chickens we have). I will try to take a picture if I can and notice more of it.

She's definitely waddling, enlarged lower belly, not roosting...yup yup and yup.

I had heard some people try to feel for a stuck, but I'm not sure if I would know what it was either way - never done that before. After her soaks, you can see her vent is obviously red, swollen, and looks like it's bleeding - a bright red.

I have 3 other chickens right now so I'm not sure exactly. We haven't gotten eggs from any of the chickens in a while, but also lately they have been finding the last of the tall weeds in the yard and hiding in there to lay eggs. I haven't collected a chicken egg in days, but it has been hot, too.

Also, I'm wondering if there comes a point where it's best simply to put this chicken down? I hate to think of that, but it also seems that this is a painful condition and if she may have a reproductive problem, that's bad news, too.


-I have recently done the reading on Egg Yolk Peritonitis, it sounds a lot like this - fecal matter stuck around the vent (lots of that, a lot of it comes off in soaks, but not all of it), the tail lowered (she has been lowering her tail most of the time), feathers not looking as great, pale comb/wattle, eyes are more dull and at times she closes them partially if not all the way during soaks, she doesn't stay near the other two as closely - stays more isolated.

I feel terrible, I've never heard of Egg Yolk Peritonitis and Salpingitis before