Egg Bound??

[LRavis]

Hi there! I have a leghorn that is just finishing up molting and finally started laying again...well one egg anyway. About two evenings ago she went and laid down in the nesting box and really never came out so we went in and picked her up and still no egg. This morning she came out and ate and drank, but then she just laid on the ground. I’m thinking she is egg bound...she is not waddling, but just sitting quietly sometimes with her tail down. I soaked her in an epsom salt bath for about 25 minutes and I am not sure if she was trying to sleep, was so relaxed, or slowly dying because she just floated and closed her eyes. I separated her in a cage with electrolyte water and food mixed with calcium, but I am really worried we’re going to wake up to a chicken who has passed away.

 

[azygous]

An egg bound hen shouldn't die. If you understand what's going on when a hen is blocked, you can take measures so that she can survive.

One of the dangers is dehydration due to fluid loss caused by the blockage. Normally, the cecum, where cecal poop is made, distributes fluids to the rest of the body. This is blocked when a hen is egg bound, so you need to push fluids.

Calcium is of equal importance. It must be a minimum of 500mg per day in order to stimulate contractions to expel the egg.

Moist heat helps, but one Epsom salt soak is enough. Too much soaking can increase stress and it hinders expelling the egg. I take a moist towel and place a heating pad under it, then place the hen on the warm moist towel.

Lubricate the vent with Vaseline or coconut oil.

Last, you need to stand by with an oral antibiotic if you see any sign of a broken egg inside the hen. Yolk is a bacteria growing medium, and this, along with dehydration, is what most often kills a hen.