Egg Bound ??? Not sure what else to do

Wyandotte77

In the Brooder
6 Years
Sep 4, 2013
15
0
22
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 :(
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

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