Egg bound vs internal laying? Help!

[Kangasox]

Vet felt something, doing an xray to confirm. He says we will do pain meds and antibiotics, and it seems 50/50 chance it will pass. Is there anything I can do to help it? Warm baths? He doesn't seem to have good solutions except surgery. Also, if she's on meds, does it affect anyone else (as far as eating eggs, etc)? Thanks for all the help @Miss Lydia & @Amiga.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Vet felt something, doing an xray to confirm. He says we will do pain meds and antibiotics, and it seems 50/50 chance it will pass. Is there anything I can do to help it? Warm baths? He doesn't seem to have good solutions except surgery. Also, if she's on meds, does it affect anyone else (as far as eating eggs, etc)? Thanks for all the help @Miss Lydia & @Amiga .

I'm going to let @Amiga answer most of your questions since she has been through it successfully. I believe depending on the antibiotic there is a 14 to 21 day waiting period before eating eggs of poultry that have been on antibiotics.

Warm baths, calcium supplementation,keeping her quiet.

 

[Amiga]

Yes - lukewarm bath, extra calcium, and can you get her into a separate spot at night?

Something else we did with Sechs 3 years ago when she had a prolapse (and surgery) to keep her from laying while she had stitches around her vent was keep her in a good sized dog crate with towels over it (fresh water and food and bedding, of course). I put that right in the night pen so she was next to everybody else, but not mixing it up with them. It worked, she did not lay...in fact, one day I let her walk around in the night pen and she found a few eggs I had not collected, moved them into a corner and started sitting on them. For over two months she was broody like that - and that was a blessing because she wasn't laying, and she was resting. In a darkened corner.

 

[Kangasox]

Somehow, this was much cuter in my house when they were ducklings.

@Amiga where can you get calcium gluc-whatever? The vet said to give her a 1/4 tums but I have to shove enough in her mouth and she's not taking it easily. Not sure what we are going to do yet. We may have to take her on vacation with us Wednesday. Do you think she'd be ok if I only take her? We have her sister in with her at the moment, but with 3 kids and two dogs, I don't know that I can fit 2 ducks in the car too.

They were supposed to email me the xray. I'll post it when they do. Interesting to look at!

 

[Kangasox]

Also - is the calcium to harden up the shell of the stuck egg, making it theoretically easier for her to push out? Is that still ok with such a "big egg" according to the vet?

Also also - while I am amazed and grateful for the knowledge of vets and glad it was confirmed by a good vet, your information was the same and perhaps more detailed than what our avian vet told me for $300.

 

[Amiga]

I feel the financial pain, too, Kangasox - - - eggbound duck and cat with an eye problem same week - - - glad it does not happen often....

Calcium does more than harden eggs, from what I understand. It's important for bones, the circulatory system, and possibly the nervous system. I seem to recall years ago a nutritional doc telling me that calcium deficiency can cause muscles to tense up.

Calcium gluconate is often available at feed stores - it is used for ruminants with milk fever. It's generally 23% calcium gluconate solution - comes in a plastic bottle.

I think Tums has 400 mg per tablet, so you could give her calcium citrate as well - just dissolve that in water and you're good to go if you just want to put it in her drinking water, but you'd want to put a whole bunch in there to make sure she gets her 100 mg per day. I cut a 250 mg Ca citrate tablet in half, crush the half and put it in a tablespoon of thawed frozen peas and that works well. You could add it to her food - that's something else I did when I had two or three ducks with soft shelled eggs - I added enough to their food so that everyone was getting around 80 mg per day extra calcium.

Please don't throw anything at me - I would want the two ducks to stay together. Emotionally for them I feel that would be the least stressful. Beyond that, I trust you to go with your instincts...

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Kangasox is there anyway you could move the vacation up a week so you could keep them home and together more relaxed and actually you all too. That would be pretty stressful for everyone to be in a car with 3 kids 2 dogs and 1 or 2 ducks. Where would hubby sit? I'm assuming there is a hubby.
Joking aside, I hope she passes this egg. Praying it happens soon.

[That is still a cute picture]

 

[Kangasox]

@Kangasox
   is there anyway you could move the vacation up a week so you could keep them home and together more relaxed and actually you all too. That would be pretty stressful for everyone to be in a car with 3 kids 2 dogs and 1 or 2 ducks. Where would hubby sit? I'm assuming there is a hubby.
Joking aside, I hope she passes this egg. Praying it happens soon.    [That is still a cute picture] 

No, kids start school.

We're going to my mom's, so and they would stay in a small crate and bathtub. Only choice is cancelling. I gave her meds this morning and it was IMPOSSIBLE. Not even sure how much got in. Such a frustrating situation. And now she is breathing a bit differently, so I'm worried that despite my efforts something got in her trachea. Last question, how do I know? @Amiga? And how long does passing the egg usually take? Sorry to be a pain.

Xrays!

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mergency-and-supportive-care-updated-8-8-2016
@Kangasox go to this thread it will show you how to admin meds I get my dh to hold the bird wrapped in a towel. Then I pry open the mouth and use a needle less syringe to put meds down the hole. I stick the syringe just into the hole so it doesn't go into trachea . Other solution is putting it in her feed or water. Like Amiga said mixing with peas.

 

[Kangasox]

I saw that post last night @Miss Lydia. Very helpful! This is such a wonderful community. Is it the same for pills? I wish they had given liquid. I tried corn this morning, out of peas but I will get some today. My older ducks are crazy for them. These ducks are much less good about eating from our hands.