Egg Bound or Constipated? Need Advice, Opinions Please

[outdoorzgirl]

I have a healthy young RIR that has been sitting in her nesting box since yesterday morning. I did not have liquid calcium, so I crushed up a calcium pill in water and put a couple syringe fulls in her mouth. I also put my index finger all the way in her vent and felt around. I did not feel an egg, but I did feel poop. There was something hard feeling above her vent toward her tail feathers when I felt on the outside of her. Anyway, I just got down soaking her in warm water in the sink for about 30 minutes. The warm water made her poop a huge amount, or what looked like a huge amount after sitting in water for 30 minutes

There also looked like boiled egg yolk in the feces. Do you think she was just constipated. I just let her outside. Not sure if she went back in her nesting box yet or not. I have never had this happen, so I am really not sure what to think.

 

[outdoorzgirl]

I just checked on her and she is out in the yard eating. So maybe it was just constipation? I wonder what the boiled yolk stuff was?

 

[lucyboo]

i dont really know either! im srry u havent gotten an answer yet!

i hope someone does eventually answers! did u say the poop had a biled egg look to it?

<3 lucyboo

 

[outdoorzgirl]

She went back in the nesting box and is still in there at 11:30 at night. I guess she is going to stay in there all night again

I don't know what else to do. I am stumped. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Is it possible for an egg to be above the vent toward the top of her tail feathers? There seems to be a bulge there. I can't feel anything when I stick my finger in her. I rubbed her belly while soaking her and did not feel anything unusual.

Lucyboo - Her poop did have 2 nickle sized pieces of what looked to be boiled egg yolk. Even had the texture of a boiled egg from what I could tell. I did not touch it.

I don't want to lose her. Someone please help.

 

[horsefreak]

How old is your hen???
If she is unde 2 weeks old then that yolk is probably from when she was inside the egg
If she is older, it was an unformed egg- which would explain the yolk and the POO look
Happy trails
Horsefreak
xo

 

[citychickenfarm]

It sounds like she is egg bound. I had a hen become egg bound when we got her and after soaking her bottom to clean her I ended up getting an egg that had the consistency of a hard boiled egg. Mine did pass the whole egg though. I'm not sure if yours did. I'm fairly new to this so don't take my word as stone.

Id keep an eye on her to see if she's trying to lay any more. Since mine passed hers she is still laying soft eggs. She is also 8 years old and from another farm so I'm hoping to correct it but I think there is more going wrong with her.
Is your girl swollen in her abdomen?

 

[outdoorzgirl]

She is probably a year old now. She was still on the nesting box this morning when I let the chickens out. Her abdomen does not appear swollen, but I swear it feels like an egg is trapped above her vent toward the top of her tail feathers. Is that even possible? I did not feel a tube running up toward that area when I stuck my finger in her bottom. I don't know much about chicken anatomy.

I have to leave the house for a few hours, but when I get back I am going to try soaking her bottom again.

 

[citychickenfarm]

She has laid normal eggs up to this point?

 

[outdoorzgirl]

Yes, never had a problem before. She lays almost daily. I got a shot from the vet today. I forgot what he told me it was. It sounded kinda like pitocin..but that was not the word he used. It also had calcium in it. I gave it to her about 30 minutes ago and put her back in her nesting box. I hope that does the trick.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Could she just be broody? Has she pulled out her breast feathers?