Egg bound or something else?

[joduh]

Our 10 month old barred rock has a very swollen abdomen. We think she is egg bound . She is sitting in the nest a lot but has not passed an egg. For the past two days we have soaked her in baths, fed her Tums, and lubed her vent with KY and Preparation H. I can feel the tip of an egg in her vent about an inch inward. Her temperament is totally normal... happy, curious, eating and drinking.

Is there anything else we can do for her?

Could this be some other disorder?

 

[micstrachan]

Is her belly squishy? Are you quite certain there is an egg? It could be some other obstruction, like lash egg. She could be laying internally. It could be caused by a number of things. However, if she is egg bound and fully blocked to the point she can’t defacate, she will certainly die if the egg doesn’t pass. I don’t want to scare you, but this could be dire. If she is acting normal, though, I don’t think she is egg bound. I think you should keep her separated so you can monitor her poop. How is her body language/posture?

 

[micstrachan]

Also, when was the last time she laid an egg? Have you noticed any thin shelled or shellless eggs lately?

 

[The Phantom]

If it is a soft shell, try to poke it and drain the whites and yolk then carefully pull it out. Lubricant will help it come out better. I used cotton swabs to pull it out. They had vasaline on them. KY should be just as good or better. This is what I had to do to a few of my quail.
Hope she gets well!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Is the swelling you're referring to what I'm seeing directly below her vent? Does it start there and continue underneath?

Just a question. I have no experience with this, but lately I've been reading up on hens that are egg bound and learning what I can.

 

[joduh]

@micstrachan She is pooping regularly. It's a little soft but not diarrhea. Not sure when she laid last because she was in with a bunch of others. Noticed her sitting a lot about 3 days ago.

@CarolinaSunshineFlock yes she is quite swollen, on her rear behind her legs and below the vent.

I am wondering if she's laying internally. What would cause that?

 

[micstrachan]

Unfortunately, once a hen starts laying internally, she’ll probably continue to do so. They can lay internally the odd time from stress, however (like a predator scare). Some can live a long time with internal laying, others develop egg yolk peritonitis (inflammation with or without infection from the egg yolk build up). Is an avian vet an option for you? If she is indeed laying internally, she might benefit from a hormone implant to stop the laying for a few months and give her system a break.
Internal laying can be genetic, since many chickens are bred to lay excessively, or can be caused by damage to the reproductive tract from injury or infection.
The good news is, she is acting normal, right? In assessing her, weight itself can be deceiving, since acquired abdominal fluid can offset weight loss. Can you feel her keel (breast bone) and see how much muscle is on it? This chart might help. Losing muscle would be an indicator of illness.

Edited to add:
Keeping her in the dark would be another way to stop the laying to give her body a break.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I'd like to keep this discussion rolling along in the hopes you'll get some more feedback on what to do.

Have you read the Chicken Chick's post on egg binding? She has some instructions with links at the bottom on how to manually remove the egg. It sounds risky. I'm not sure at what point this should be done.

This BYC article covers what you're already doing, with the addition of giving the hen a crushed calcium pill. The Chicken Chick mentions this as well.

The swelling looks exactly like what I'm seeing in photos of egg bound hens.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Does anyone have suggestions on what she should do to help her hen?

@aart @Wyorp Rock

I can't recall the other members to tag.

 

[micstrachan]

@rebrascora @azygous @Eggcessive