Egg broke inside hen

[Maine_chic]

Massage can help with an impacted firm or doughy crop, but with a puffy or boggy crop, it can accidentally push fluids back up into the thoat.

Thank you for the info!! Hers is definitely FULL—I swear I can feel every bit of food she has eaten for the past 3-4 days! I observed her poop a small amount of yellow liquid, nothing solid. She’s drinking water (plain and with ACV). I CAN feel an egg inside her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the info!! Hers is definitely FULL—I swear I can feel every bit of food she has eaten for the past 3-4 days! I observed her poop a small amount of yellow liquid, nothing solid. She’s drinking water (plain and with ACV). I CAN feel an egg inside her.

Can you feel the egg inside the vent or when you feel the abdomen from the outside?

 

[Maine_chic]

@Wyorp Rock ...Inside. Keep in mind, I’m new to keeping chickens, this is my first full year, so still new to feeling inside a vent for an egg. I used a gloved, lubed finger and can feel a hard, egg-shaped object. She seemed to be moving around a bit more this morning and had a little more strength (noted when injecting her with antibiotics). But now she just keeping to herself, laying in the shade, away from the others again. No improvement to her crop.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Wyorp Rock ...Inside. Keep in mind, I’m new to keeping chickens, this is my first full year, so still new to feeling inside a vent for an egg. I used a gloved, lubed finger and can feel a hard, egg-shaped object. She seemed to be moving around a bit more this morning and had a little more strength (noted when injecting her with antibiotics). But now she just keeping to herself, laying in the shade, away from the others again. No improvement to her crop.

If you can feel an egg, you may need to help her try to expel it.
How long has she been like this?
Likely the egg is blocking up most of the intestines - small poop and crop issue!

Have you tried soaking her in a warm epsom salts bath, massaging the abdomen, giving extra calcium? Getting her hydrated is important too.

 

[Maine_chic]

UPDATE: Not a happy one, unfortunately! Its been about two weeks since Luna had a shell-less egg break inside her. Her crop is still not emptying and is about the size of an orange. I have given her mineral oil daily but this did nothing to resolve the crop issue, which I believe is secondary to a reproductive issue. Sadly, she will need to be put down at this point, because she is not responding to any of our efforts to save her, and because I do not want her to continue suffering. I wish I knew what caused this issue, esp since she is only just over a year old, but we tried our best and greatly appreciate the support and advice from everyone on here!

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry that she has continued to get worse and not respond to treatment. There is not a whole lot more that you can do. It is sad to have to put one down so young, but reproductive disorders and cancer do sometimes affect young hens. I usually do a necropsy on the hens I lose to look for any signs of cancer, salpingitis, peritonitis, or ascites in the abdomen. If do that take pictures and post them, and another suggestion would be to have your state vet do a necropsy to get a detailed report.

 

[Maine_chic]

So sorry that she has continued to get worse and not respond to treatment. There is not a whole lot more that you can do. It is sad to have to put one down so young, but reproductive disorders and cancer do sometimes affect young hens. I usually do a necropsy on the hens I lose to look for any signs of cancer, salpingitis, peritonitis, or ascites in the abdomen. If do that take pictures and post them, and another suggestion would be to have your state vet do a necropsy to get a detailed report.

Thank you, I will definitely see if the state vet can do that. As its a weekend, it may not be a possibility at this point, but I can necropsy her. I was planning to do that, out of curiousity and to further my knowledge. I hate to ask this.....but, I am unable to get a hold of our vet and still awaiting his call. I would prefer my hen to be put down in the most humane way possible. I also dont want to further her suffering or prolong it. Any other ways to euthanize her humanely in the absence of a vet? (Yes, I have firearms and have euthanized many animals in this way...I was a State Game Warden!......but certainly never put down a chicken before ) TY again

 

[Eggcessive]

I usually use a sharp knife to cut the jugular veins, and it is over quickly. See the video below which is how I do it, and is humane. Some use the broomstick method to perform cervical dislocation. There are numerous videos. Most state vets are open M-F, so if she lives until then, you could just keep her body on ice and take her in Monday am. Here is a list of state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Wyorp Rock]

UPDATE: Not a happy one, unfortunately! Its been about two weeks since Luna had a shell-less egg break inside her. Her crop is still not emptying and is about the size of an orange. I have given her mineral oil daily but this did nothing to resolve the crop issue, which I believe is secondary to a reproductive issue. Sadly, she will need to be put down at this point, because she is not responding to any of our efforts to save her, and because I do not want her to continue suffering. I wish I knew what caused this issue, esp since she is only just over a year old, but we tried our best and greatly appreciate the support and advice from everyone on here!

I'm sorry that she's not getting any better.
As for putting down a sick hen, I use the broomstick method, you can find videos of that. The method that Kim uses is effective as well.
Let us know if you perform a necropsy and what you find out. It's sad to lose a hen that is young.

 

[Maine_chic]

I usually use a sharp knife to cut the jugular veins, and it is over quickly. See the video below which is how I do it, and is humane. Some use the broomstick method to perform cervical dislocation. There are numerous videos. Most state vets are open M-F, so if she lives until then, you could just keep her body on ice and take her in Monday am. Here is a list of state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thank you so much for all of your help! I was researching how best to euthanize her and she passed on her own. I was fortunately able to be there to remove her from the other girls...and at least make her last moments peaceful. Poor girl. I did not do a necropsy....I will likely regret that decision because I would REALLY like to know what happened. Logistics of freezing her (no freezer space) and young, distraught kiddos made for a challenging task on a sunny Summer Saturday. I will contact the state vet, ty for the list, just for future reference. TY again for your support.