egg-bound

[honeybeez]

I have a hen that appears to be eggbound. She has been very subdued, staying in the coop and not laying. I've massaged her chest and it feels like an egg just under her breast bone. I've read up on what to do if the egg is close to the vent/visible...Please, any suggestions? Should I try to break it that far up?

Honeybeez.

 

[bargain]

See the advice from eggschel on this posting....It's excellent.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=19259

Good luck and have a blessed evening.

 

[threehorses]

I wasn't able to read the above thread thoroughly, but it looked good.

If the egg is up by her breastbone, I wouldn't suspect the egg to be that far up. They should be more in the abdomen area. Is it possible that she has a breast blister instead?

If you look here: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x301/eggcetra_farms/chicken_anatomy.jpg You'll see where the cloaca and where the ovaries are located. On this hen, would you say the lump is directly at the middle/bottom, further in front than that, or back in back of the midline?

The best thing to do is wait until you feel the egg closer to the vent. Then you can use gloves and lube up your right index finger with olive oil, or (better yet) KY jelly (which is what vets use). Gently enter her cloaca with your finger up against the top wall, using your left hand to ever so gently hold her abdomen. See if you can feel an egg that way. You can use the lubricant to gently lubricate her cloaca and vent to allow the egg better passage. Then try the bath. If that doesn't work, and there's a whole egg, repeat entering the cloaca and gently guide the egg back.

If in any case the egg breaks, keep a baby's ear syringe handy - or a basting syringe (for turkeys, etc) and remove all the egg you can, then flush the cloaca's insides with *cool*, not warm, water. You can even add a few drops of Nolvasan if you have it. Otherwise pure water. Flush the egg out (shell, white, yolk, and all). The cool water (versus warm) cools the tissues and helps reduce inflammation, reducing the chances of prolapse if the cloaca becomes irritated. As icky as it sounds, it's absolutely essential to flush a cloaca in such a manner any time anything but a whole egg comes out.

If you have an egg that is obviously too big to exit, you can puncture the end closest to you with an awl or something similar, Try to get the contents of the eggs outside of the vent, and then collapse the egg slightly to get it to pass. Again flush thoroughly.

IN the case of collapsed eggs, it's always a good idea to keep penicillin injectable around to prevent infection. It's a good thing to have on hand for this and for wounds and some lower respiratory illnesses. I'll post something below on how to use penicillin and what to buy to have on hand for it.

In the mean time, egg issues are often calcium issues. What feed does she get all the time, including all supplements like grit, oyster shell, etc? How old is she? Can you get her to eat? Is it possible she's just gone broody?