Egg bound or sick or something else???

[celliott24]

My hen has been waddling around, tail feathers down, and laying down every chance she can. She hasn’t laid in at least 26 hours. I thought she might be egg bound, but I just gloved up and felt around in her vent and can not feel an egg. There is a rather large round sack kind of between her legs, but I’m not sure if that’s just normal chicken butt. She looks uncomfortable walking around but is eating and drinking normally.

She’s a 10 month old Buff Orpington, I’ve had her since she was a baby chick, no new chickens have been added to the flock.

I have her separated from the rest of the flock, gave her an Epsom salt bath and gave her some calcium and some nutridench.

Photos of poop from this morning (although she stepped on it before I got in there), her vent, and how she’s standing/laying.

Is she egg bound or is this something else?

 

[azygous]

From her photo, her stance does not appear to coincide with the legs wide apart stance of a chicken suffering from ascites. If the abdominal swelling is most predominant behind the legs and directly beneath the vent, then it may point to reproductive infection or simply overweight which is not healthy and can lead to fatty liver disease.

Giving a calcium supplement in case she's struggling with a stuck egg is the first thing I would do. It's simple, safe, and easy, and won't cause any harm if we're wrong, and it will do a whole mountain of good if this is egg binding.

Give at least 600mg of calcium and provide access to fresh plain water tonight. Be sure she's not in a cold or chilly spot, and it's quiet and stress-free. Then check on her in the morning and tell us what her poop looks like and if she's still lethargic.

We'll need to see how this unfolds before we can make any further guesses as to what might be going on. Yes, guesses...we aren't clairvoyant and we aren't even vets. But as things progress, our experience may recognize something and we'll likely have more suggestions.

 

[azygous]

From your description of her stance, she's most likely egg bound. Give her at least 600mg of calcium again this morning. If you have a heating pad, put it on low setting and slip it under her.

By now she may be getting weak, put a teaspoon of sugar into her water and dip her beak so she'll know it's sweet. If she won't drink, you'll have to syringe it into her. Dehydration is a big risk with this condition as her bodily fluids are getting shunted out of the reproductive tract instead of being distributed to her tissues.

This is how your syringe fluids.

 

[azygous]

Her stance is definitely that of being egg bound. Our mission is now clear. Yes, it would benefit her greatly to get some sugar water into her.

I wrap the chicken in a towel to calm her. I have the water, warmed slightly, ready and an oral syringe. I reach around with my weak hand and pry open the beak by sticking a nail into the beak. I load the syringe and insert it on the chicken's right side of the beak. Then going slightly under the side of the tongue, insert it directly into the esophagus and push out the water.

When you feed the water directly into the crop via the esophagus, there isn't any need for her to swallow. So keep the beak open and continue to feed the water to her until you get at least a fourth of a cup into her. Do it again in about two hours.

 

[celliott24]

I don’t have much to add here. You have some really great advice from other way more knowledgeable. Just wanted to say I hope she feels better soon. I love my Orpingtons so I hope she can kick whatever this might be!

Thank you! So bizarrely enough, I had her isolated for two three-day stints trying to fix her “egg bound” issue. She never declined, but is STILL in the backyard with tail tucked and laying down often. She IS laying though, all 8 chickens laid yesterday for Easter! So I have no idea what’s going on. She’s eating and drinking, just continuing with the odd behavior. I hope she isn’t in pain but we decided to just let nature heal her and we’ll see if she declines but she has stayed pretty consistent over the past two weeks.

 

[Eggcessive]

She might have ascites or water belly, which is fluid from a reproductive disorder, liver problems, or heart problems. Some people try to withdraw or drain fluid from ascites by inserting an 18 gauge needle with a large syringe inserted just under the skin into the abdominal wall. Let us know if the calcium helps. I am going to tag @azygous for any other suggestions.

 

[celliott24]

Okay! Woke up this morning and we have an egg! Just one egg - it’s regular sized and shaped. A bit oblong so maybe it didn’t turn correctly on the way down? She is still kind of acting the same way, tail is still tucked when she stands, she’s pumping her tail a bit, and her abdomen is still a little swollen but not nearly where it was yesterday. Her comb and waddles are red and she seems a bit more chipper - definitely less lethargic.

What now?!

 

[celliott24]

She might have ascites or water belly, which is fluid from a reproductive disorder, liver problems, or heart problems. Some people try to withdraw or drain fluid from ascites by inserting an 18 gauge needle with a large syringe inserted just unepder the skin into the abdominal wall. Let us know if the calcium helps. I am going to tag @azygous for any other suggestions.

Thank you! I will post an update in the morning. Is ascites common in 11 month old hens and does it prevent them from laying? Does draining fix the problem or is it a continuous issue that needs constant care (is it best to cull?) - this is my first flock so I appreciate the help!

 

[Eggcessive]

If a vet is available they could do X-rays of her abdomen? Draining her would give you some answers that might confirm ascites if you get any yellow to amber fluid back. If it is ascites, that would eventually kill her. That is why I would try to figure out if that is what she really has or not. It can happen to young layers for the reasons posted above, and also fatty liver disease may cause it. No ascites does not prevent them from laying, but the illnesses that can cause ascites might. Check her crop in early morning to see if it is emptying overnight.

 

[celliott24]

From your description of her stance, she's most likely egg bound. Give her at least 600mg of calcium again this morning. If you have a heating pad, put it on low setting and slip it under her.

By now she may be getting weak, put a teaspoon of sugar into her water and dip her beak so she'll know it's sweet. If she won't drink, you'll have to syringe it into her. Dehydration is a big risk with this condition as her bodily fluids are getting shunted out of the reproductive tract instead of being distributed to her tissues.

This is how your syringe fluids. View attachment 3450018

Thank you! She seems in fine spirits besides the fact that she can’t move around a ton and seems uncomfortable - not weak yet - comb still red, still cooing and happy - but again hasn’t laid at all. 600-800mg of calcium is in her! I’ll make sure to get some water in her too and keep you posted today. Thanks again.