Egg Bound ??? Not sure what else to do

[Wyandotte77]

Firstly, a few days ago, I saw what appeared to be yellow yoke in my coop and I didn't give it much thought since I have an orpington that lays soft eggs occasionally. Not sure if this is related to the problem with my hen but I though I would include it.I have a 1.5 year old black sexlink who started acting a bit lethargic a few days ago. Today I noticed that her tail is drooping and she is squatting around the yard in odd places so I examined her vent to see if she looked egg bound in any way. She is not swollen and in feeling around her abdomen, I cannot feel any hard egg.She did have a lot of white discharge and poop stuck to her feathers which is abnormal. I brought her inside and soaked her in warm water for 20 minutes which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Then I put some olive oil around her vent and a bit inside of the vent to help lubricate the area. I decided to giver her 1 ml of Baytril just in case there was any kind of bacterial infection going on. I checked on her tonight and still no egg. Not sure what to do now. I am planning on soaking her again in the morning and giving her a bit more Baytril if she still looks unhappy. She is a pretty feisty little hen and I can tell she is really unhappy and uncomfortable. Any suggestions?

 

[dawg53]

I would continue soaking her in warm water and gently massage her underside front to rear while she's soaking. However if she's egg impacted, there's not much that can be done.

 

[ten chicks]

Firstly, a few days ago, I saw what appeared to be yellow yoke in my coop and I didn't give it much thought since I have an orpington that lays soft eggs occasionally. Not sure if this is related to the problem with my hen but I though I would include it.I have a 1.5 year old black sexlink who started acting a bit lethargic a few days ago. Today I noticed that her tail is drooping and she is squatting around the yard in odd places so I examined her vent to see if she looked egg bound in any way. She is not swollen and in feeling around her abdomen, I cannot feel any hard egg.She did have a lot of white discharge and poop stuck to her feathers which is abnormal. I brought her inside and soaked her in warm water for 20 minutes which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Then I put some olive oil around her vent and a bit inside of the vent to help lubricate the area. I decided to giver her 1 ml of Baytril just in case there was any kind of bacterial infection going on. I checked on her tonight and still no egg. Not sure what to do now. I am planning on soaking her again in the morning and giving her a bit more Baytril if she still looks unhappy. She is a pretty feisty little hen and I can tell she is really unhappy and uncomfortable. Any suggestions?

Have you done a clocal exam for being egg bound? Soaking her in warm water and giving her a calcium tablet or a tums tablet, may help with egg binding. White discharge may indicate vent gleet.

 

[Wyandotte77]

Well I haven't stuck my finger in if that's what you mean by exam. I am nervous to break the egg if I put my finger in. Her vent doesn't looked swollen or abnormal really.

 

[Eggcessive]

With a rubber glove you can lubricate a finger and insert it about 1 1/2 inches to feel for an egg or help it out. If there is no egg there you will at least know.

 

[Wyandotte77]

I am soaking her now. Then I will give that a try. Also, this morning when I carried her in, I could hear her breathing and it was a little raspy. Now I am worried I am dealing with something else too

 

[Wyandotte77]

Okay next weird thing that happened. I found what appeared to be a mini intact yoke in the coop when I was inspecting the nest box. It looks like the pictures of the eggs before they fully form. It appears she passed it along with some of the olive oil I used to lubricate the vent yesterday.

 

[dawg53]

Warm water expands their innards, massaging helps encourage her to move the egg along.
It's possible there are egg whites or debris inside her. I recommend that you give her a vinegar/water flush to prevent bacterial infection...like a douche.
Use a large syringe without a needle, mixing 1 tablespoon WHITE vinegar to one quart of water. Use a full syringe of the mixture and insert the syringe into her vent and gently flush. Use about 3 or 4 syringefuls, the liquid may or may not flow out of her vent afterwards.

 

[Wyandotte77]

Thank you for all your suggestions. No real progress made yet but I am continuing to soak her and plan on taking a fecal sample to the vet on Monday to see if coccidiosis is playing a role. She did seem a bit fiestier tonight which is her usual attitude so I am hoping she is feeling a little better.

 

[Wyandotte77]

I feel I've made some progress! Even though my hen is still acting a bit under the weather, she did pass a soft egg today!! I am going to continue my baytril for a few more days and even the soaking to see if anything else comes out.