Egg bound or Internal laying or something completely different?

[Mistols]

I have a sexlink that hasn't been laying for a several months now. Last week she laid a funky looking egg- if you can call it that. It looked like intestines dried up. Like a soft shelled egg crumpled up. Then she laid an almost regular egg. The shell was still a little soft in a spot. Then nothing for the rest of the week.

Tonight I went to check on the girls and she had gone in the coop to sleep. She took a hobbled step toward me. I thought it was a bad foot but that is not it. Her belly is somewhat hard and she really just wants to sit and is breathing heavy. I am thinking I will go get her to try putting Vaseline on her Vent . Not that I know what I am doing here.

Please help. I haven't found a vet near here that won't laugh at me when I say I have a chicken problem.

Thanks

Misti

 

[OrpingtonManor]

You might try giving her a warm soak. Sometimes that will relax them enough to pass the egg.

Good luck!

 

[Mistols]

She is sitting in a warm sink right now. We don't even have to hold her there. She isn't panting but more laboring. After we dry her off, I will put her in our kennel with a warm water bottle for the night. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Good morning. Sorry I didn't reply last night. I know it feels like an eternity when you are waiting for help and no one replies.

If she still hasn't passed the egg this morning, you can try giving her a Tums crushed up in a teaspoon or so of yogurt. The extra calcium helps the muscles that push the egg through. You also can gently insert your well-lubricated finger into her vent and check for the egg being there. You can lubricate her vent with some mineral oil or KY jelly while you do that. If you feel the egg, does it feel unusually large? Is it intact? broken? soft?

Good luck, and keep us posted. I'm hoping someone else will chime in too, since I have to go to work, and don't want to leave you hanging all day. Anyone?

edited to say, what does her poo look like? normal? pale yellow and runny? also, is she eating? the more details we have, the more we can help. again, good luck.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

On the chance that no one else chimes in, I wanted to post my thread from when I had an internal layer. It's pretty long, but if you have the time to read it, you might find some info that will related to your situation. There are many other great threads out there. Just use the search function in the blue tool bar at the top.

I really hope your girl is egg bound, not an internal layer. Here's my story...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=258560

 

[Mistols]

Thanks Steph for replying, I am not picking up much help. I have read your thread and it seems helpful enough. I missed it if you had drained her abdomin or not. And what was the actual problem?

I have yet to check on her this morning but last night her vent was pulsing and swollen. I was nervous to stick my finger in there all the way, I have read how you can break an egg in the cavity. So I am scared. I have no nursing background whatsoever. This is all new.

I picked up the links on weird eggs and weird poop.

She hasn't been laying at all for months, then layed a weird soft looking shell (like a dried up intestine). And then a mostly hard long egg. Then nothing for over a week.

Her poop is a light yellow and runny.

Dumb question - Is her anus and vent in the same area? Because I can't find 2 different areas. I tried to find a diagram showing me that and nothing.

It would be great for her to come out of this. I hate to see her suffer.

 

[mamaluv321]

Anus and vent, same thing-ish. Works kinda how your esophagus works (flap opens on way for breathing, the other way for swallowing); has an internal "flap" that closes off the intestines so the eggs can come out. Not the best way to describe it but I'm sure you get the idea. Good luck!

 

[Mistols]

Thanks Mama-

That explains a lot. I took pictures but I don't see how to post them.

 

[Mistols]

I took some pics. but can't figure out how to post them. She is swollen enough that she can't walk and would rather sit. He poop is whitish, a little watery (my daughter said she drank a lot last night- she slept in her room in the kennel), and greenish brown. That seems to rule out internal laying, I think.

Her bum is raw and free of feathers, so is her chest spot.

I am going to have daughter give her another warm bath and apply oil on her vent again. I will try to brave up and stick my finger in further to feel for an egg.

 

[Mistols]

Okay - so we have given her some warm baths and I have tried to lubricate her vent. I could reach down her vent about 2-3 inched when she starts fighting back. And I feel no egg, only her contracting muscles. When I did this, I did get a thin white/yellow secretion from her vent. She is skin and bones with the exception of her swollen belly.

I think eventually it is just a matter of time and her body will wear out on her. She stays asleep mostly while she is laboring. At this point, it would be nice to know what happened and if we could have prevented it with diet or medication.

Poor thing! It is so sad and hard sometimes that with anything you bring into your life that brings you joy and can also bring you an equivalent sorrow.