I think I have an egg bound hen. For the last couple of days, she's been sitting hunched. She seems to be eating and drinking but uncomfortable. At first I thought she was just cold, but that's not it.
How do I tell for sure that she is egg bound? And if no vet can see her tomorrow, do I need to handle this? I'm scared to hurt her either way.
Please post photos of your hen and her poop.2, maybe three days? She is now pecking around normally but then stops at looks to be in a bit of a trance, uncomfortable looking and still. And stays that way too long.
What do you feed, including treats?
How old is she and how long have you had her?
I would still give her extra Calcium for a few days. You can find Calcium Citrate with D3 at stores like Walmart, CVS, etc. Give her 1 tablet daily. Just pull down on her wattles, pop the tablet into her beak and let her swallow.
If she's walking about, eating/drinking and pecking normally and pooping, then not likely egg bound. Egg Binding is a crisis, and a hen will usually succumb within 48hrs of an egg blocking the cloaca.
She may be having some difficulty expelling a soft shelled egg that is still in the egg gland, has laid internally or it could be something else - so many things affect chickens.
Hopefully with a bit more info and photos we can offer more suggestions.