Egg bound or water belly?

[baileybiddi]

Good morning! I have a hen who is not acting herself this morning. She’s just standing around and acting very lethargic. I picked her up and her belly does feel a little swollen. Also, when I was holding her she started closing her eyes and her head was shaking. She was completely fine yesterday, running around while free ranging, and I didn’t notice the swollen belly yesterday either. She laid an egg two days ago and so far hasn’t laid one today. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[AidKD]

Put on a pair of gloves and gently feel around inside her vent. You should be able to feel if she has an egg in there.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Good morning! I have a hen who is not acting herself this morning. She’s just standing around and acting very lethargic. I picked her up and her belly does feel a little swollen. Also, when I was holding her she started closing her eyes and her head was shaking. She was completely fine yesterday, running around while free ranging, and I didn’t notice the swollen belly yesterday either. She laid an egg two days ago and so far hasn’t laid one today. Any advice would be appreciated!

Fluid buildup (water belly) doesn't come on overnight in my experience and by the time the birds are noticeably ill the swelling would be very obvious/pronounced if it was causing the lethargy.

Since egg binding can be fatal I would bring her inside and treat her with a calcium supplement (calcium citrate tablet or tums). Sometimes you can feel the egg inside the vent if it's near the end, but sometimes it;s further up the oviduct. You can give her a warm epsom salt bath if you feel she's up for that or just keep her in a warm steamy bathroom. Make sure she has water and food available and stays hydrated. I'd also check for crop issues (slow, sour, impacted) and see what her poop is like.