Egg bound with yucky wound and maggots!!

[Marisa14]

I saw my 3yr old splash Orpington, Lilly out on her own this morning so went to see if she was ok and I discovered that she had a wound below her vent and it was covered in maggots!!!
At this time I also discovered she was egg bound… she hasn’t been laying as of late but I didn’t think anything of it as it is autumn in NZ and only 2 of my 5 chickens are currently laying…
I bathed her in an epsom salt bath to clean the wound and took her to the vet. The vet gave her some painkillers and antibiotics. I have just bathed her again and had another feel for the egg, but I can’t feel it anymore!!!
I am a very worried “chicken mama”

 

[TheOddOneOut]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @casportpony @Eggcessive

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she able to poop?

Did you or the vet get all the maggots off? You may need to soak for a few times a day and pick off all the maggots you see. Sometimes they can be inside the vent as well.

Did you feel a hard shelled egg? You can try giving her extra Calcium like Caltrate, 1 tablet a day for a few days to see if she passes the egg.

Hopefully your vet gave you wound care instructions. Keep her drinking so she doesn't get dehydrated.

 

[Marisa14]

Yes, she is sort of pooping… it’s a bit runny though.
Yes, we got all that we could see this morning and the vet found some more.

Yes, the egg shell was hard. I’m very worried that it might break inside. I crushed up some calcium tablets before we went to the vet and put in some food but she wouldn’t eat it. I am going to try again shortly.

Unfortunately there aren’t many vets that know much about chickens in my area, he told me t he at j know more about chickens than he does!

I’m doing everything I can for her. I have just bathed her again now and put some cream on that will keep the flies away

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A grown hen should be able to swallow a calcium tablet whole, but if you wish, break it in half and give it to her that way. Pull down on the wattles, pop the tablet or piece of tablet in the beak and let go of the wattles. She'll swallow it.

Bathing/soaking may help. Hopefully she's not too lethargic. Sometimes a bath can stress them. Warm her after the bath and dry her well.
You may find more maggots over the course of a few days, but hopefully they are all gone.

It's possible the egg traveled back up the oviduct, hard to know. Fingers crossed that she will expel it.

 

[-Flash-]

A grown hen should be able to swallow a calcium tablet whole, but if you wish, break it in half and give it to her that way. Pull down on the wattles, pop the tablet or piece of tablet in the beak and let go of the wattles. She'll swallow it.

Also, make sure it goes on top of her tongue. Otherwise she'll just spit it out.

 

[azygous]

As fall approaches and molt is commencing, egg quality can go downhill. It's when many of these reproductive crises happen.

Calcium citrate tablets are the number one treatment for a reproductive crisis. Calcium is exceedingly important to the proper functioning of a hen's body, from regulating their reproductive cycle to building egg shells to keeping her heart beating. But you need to get it into the hen if it's going to work its wonders.

Give one whole tablet directly in the beak. I don't mean "offer" it to her and hope she eats it. You need to pry open her beak and unceremoniously shove it in. She will swallow. No need to crush it. The tablet should be at least 600mg. She needs one per day until the crisis resolves.

By the way, any form of calcium will work, but citrate works fastest.

 

[Marisa14]

As fall approaches and molt is commencing, egg quality can go downhill. It's when many of these reproductive crises happen.

Calcium citrate tablets are the number one treatment for a reproductive crisis. Calcium is exceedingly important to the proper functioning of a hen's body, from regulating their reproductive cycle to building egg shells to keeping her heart beating. But you need to get it into the hen if it's going to work its wonders.

Give one whole tablet directly in the beak. I don't mean "offer" it to her and hope she eats it. You need to pry open her beak and unceremoniously shove it in. She will swallow. No need to crush it. The tablet should be at least 600mg. She needs one per day until the crisis resolves.

By the way, any form of calcium will work, but citrate works fastest.

OMG! Best advice EVER!!! I just literally went and opened her beak and popped the tablet in! Thanks soooo much!!!

 

[lillyahoo]

I saw my 3yr old splash Orpington, Lilly out on her own this morning so went to see if she was ok and I discovered that she had a wound below her vent and it was covered in maggots!!!
At this time I also discovered she was egg bound… she hasn’t been laying as of late but I didn’t think anything of it as it is autumn in NZ and only 2 of my 5 chickens are currently laying…
I bathed her in an epsom salt bath to clean the wound and took her to the vet. The vet gave her some painkillers and antibiotics. I have just bathed her again and had another feel for the egg, but I can’t feel it anymore!!!
I am a very worried “chicken mama”

My vet showed me a trick to get a chicken to eat just about any medication - put it in a pea-sized bit of butter. I don't know why, but they immediately snatch it up & swallow it, even if they're not eating much else!

 

[Marisa14]

My vet showed me a trick to get a chicken to eat just about any medication - put it in a pea-sized bit of butter. I don't know why, but they immediately snatch it up & swallow it, even if they're not eating much else!

That’s a good trick, thanks!! The medication she is on at the mo is injected so, that’s not an issue but will definitely put that one in the memory bank!!