Egg Bound? Not sure what else.. URGENT

[mseely]

So my buff orpington hen is showing signs of egg bound. She's very lethargic, won't hardly eat or drink, hasn't pooped, and is sitting in a squatting position. However I cannot locate the egg, I'm new to chickens and never had an egg bound egg before. Not sure if that's even what it is, I just really want to make sure she gets the help she needs. Currently I have her in a basin of warm water but I'm worried since I can't locate an egg if that's what actually is the problem. The longer it keeps going on the worse she is getting. Last night when I locked them up I noticed her crop wasn't too full, its been cold and my chickens don't really like the snow so I gave her some corn which she ate. This morning however she will hardly eat anything. Please give me advice on what to do, this is my favorite hen and I can't think about losing her.

Update: she's singing the egg song after the bath but no egg yet, what do you guys thing? What is the best way to tell if she is egg bound?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sounds very much like it could be egg binding... which is often deadly within 48 hours.

Where was she when you found her? How old is she?

Some crushed tums... the calcium will help the muscles to push. If you have any Vaseline... lubing inside the vent can help.

Corn is CRAP, and doesn't work to keep chickens warm IF that's why you usually feed it (since you mention snow, and I know that is a wide spread MYTH). Scrambled egg *might* be better for this gal... lot's of easy to digest nutrients (maybe yogurt even). Hydration however might be MOST key. Since she hasn't passed anything it's common not to have interest in intake either. Continuing to add to the stoppage/blockage won't usually help.

I would offer electrolytes. Simple recipe... 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons sugar (brown preferred for micro nutrients), 1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and baking soda. Stir until dissolved and serve full strength. If you have any liquid vitamins like poultry nutri drench, bird vitamins from any pet department, or Poly Vi Sol baby vitamins with NO iron... they can be very beneficial to add some to the water and under some conditions a drop straight to the beak REALLY helps.

If you have epsom salt that you can add to the bath... the magnesium absorbs into the muscles to support them, for pushing the egg out.

Sorry, I personally have not been successful at saving any of my gals with suspected egg binding. But I know lots of people have. Wish I could be more help. But I know BYC'ers will rally around you with support and information when they come across this thread.

The egg song takes some energy to sing... Hopefully she pulls through!

 

[mseely]

Sounds very much like it could be egg binding... which is often deadly within 48 hours.

Where was she when you found her? How old is she?

Some crushed tums... the calcium will help the muscles to push. If you have any Vaseline... lubing inside the vent can help.

Corn is CRAP, and doesn't work to keep chickens warm IF that's why you usually feed it (since you mention snow, and I know that is a wide spread MYTH). Scrambled egg *might* be better for this gal... lot's of easy to digest nutrients (maybe yogurt even). Hydration however might be MOST key. Since she hasn't passed anything it's common not to have interest in intake either. Continuing to add to the stoppage/blockage won't usually help.

I would offer electrolytes. Simple recipe... 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons sugar (brown preferred for micro nutrients), 1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and baking soda. Stir until dissolved and serve full strength. If you have any liquid vitamins like poultry nutri drench, bird vitamins from any pet department, or Poly Vi Sol baby vitamins with NO iron... they can be very beneficial to add some to the water and under some conditions a drop straight to the beak REALLY helps.

If you have epsom salt that you can add to the bath... the magnesium absorbs into the muscles to support them, for pushing the egg out.

Sorry, I personally have not been successful at saving any of my gals with suspected egg binding. But I know lots of people have. Wish I could be more help. But I know BYC'ers will rally around you with support and information when they come across this thread.

The egg song takes some energy to sing... Hopefully she pulls through!

I've been doing all of this, she's been eating a lot of yogurt. She actually took a massive poo so I started a new thread to figure out what to do next. Thank you!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/egg-bound-constipated-hen.1225984/

 

[Kiki]

Another good read:
Egg Binding: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention