Eggbound hen?

[Chicken Elizabeth]

Hi everyone, this morning we found one of our Rhode Island reds puffed up in the corner and moving very gingerly. I felt around her vent/abdomen and I don't feel an egg. Her vent isn't clogged. I'm isolating her in a warm spot with electrolyte water and im offering some scrambled egg.
What should I do to diagnose or help her?

 

[MarlaMac]

Hi everyone, this morning we found one of our Rhode Island reds puffed up in the corner and moving very gingerly. I felt around her vent/abdomen and I don't feel an egg. Her vent isn't clogged. I'm isolating her in a warm spot with electrolyte water and im offering some scrambled egg.
What should I do to diagnose or help her?

If you think she is egg bound, give her a calcium citrate pill - 300 to 400 mg. This will cause contractions and hopefully allow her to push the egg through. You can also give her a good soaking in epsom salts bath. This will help to relax the muscles in that area. I have also seen people suggest lubricating just inside the vent to help the movement, but you want to be careful with this process as you can damage things. Someone else might be able to advise on that suggestion.

But, I would immediately give the calcium and the baths. If you do the baths make sure you dry her well before putting her back outside, especially if it is cold where you are.

This is a readily available one

 

[thecatumbrella]

Seconding!

 

[MarlaMac]

Hi everyone, this morning we found one of our Rhode Island reds puffed up in the corner and moving very gingerly. I felt around her vent/abdomen and I don't feel an egg. Her vent isn't clogged. I'm isolating her in a warm spot with electrolyte water and im offering some scrambled egg.
What should I do to diagnose or help her?

I just realized I completely mis-read your post. I thought you said you thought you felt and egg, but that is not what you said. Sorry.

Questions for you.

What do you feed her, including treats?

What do her poops look like?

Is she being bullied or kept from food?

Do your chickens have enough space in their coop and run?

Have you checked her for mites and lice?

Have you checked her for any injuries/bumbles/sprains or breaks?

Did she eat the eggs?

Is she drinking the electrolyte water?

Has she perked up any since you isolated her?

Sorry, again, for the mis-read. I hope she is doing better.

 

[Chicken Elizabeth]

I just realized I completely mis-read your post. I thought you said you thought you felt and egg, but that is not what you said. Sorry.

Questions for you.

What do you feed her, including treats?

What do her poops look like?

Is she being bullied or kept from food?

Do your chickens have enough space in their coop and run?

Have you checked her for mites and lice?

Have you checked her for any injuries/bumbles/sprains or breaks?

Did she eat the eggs?

Is she drinking the electrolyte water?

Has she perked up any since you isolated her?

Sorry, again, for the mis-read. I hope she is doing better.

Thank you. We feed them naturewise feed that's 20% protein. They have constant access to oyster shell and we give them egg shell and vegetables regularly. As far as i can tell they all get along fine and all get food. She has not eaten the eggs, I gave her the calcium and an Epsom salt soak. She is obviously straining. Right now she's drying off inside and acting sleepy but still pushing some. I gave her electrolyte water by dropper a couple times.
A note, we did switch feeds about two weeks ago to the nature wise feed.

 

[Chicken Elizabeth]

I just realized I completely mis-read your post. I thought you said you thought you felt and egg, but that is not what you said. Sorry.

Questions for you.

What do you feed her, including treats?

What do her poops look like?

Is she being bullied or kept from food?

Do your chickens have enough space in their coop and run?

Have you checked her for mites and lice?

Have you checked her for any injuries/bumbles/sprains or breaks?

Did she eat the eggs?

Is she drinking the electrolyte water?

Has she perked up any since you isolated her?

Sorry, again, for the mis-read. I hope she is doing better.

Also, her breathing looks and sounds a little labored.

 

[MarlaMac]

Thank you. We feed them naturewise feed that's 20% protein. They have constant access to oyster shell and we give them egg shell and vegetables regularly. As far as i can tell they all get along fine and all get food. She has not eaten the eggs, I gave her the calcium and an Epsom salt soak. She is obviously straining. Right now she's drying off inside and acting sleepy but still pushing some. I gave her electrolyte water by dropper a couple times.
A note, we did switch feeds about two weeks ago to the nature wise feed.

I don't think the switching of food would cause this unless she is simply refusing to eat it.

So I am confused. Do you think she is egg bound or not? Do you know when the last time she laid an egg is? If you don't think she is egg bound, I would not do any more soaks as this can cause more stress if she is already feeling down. If you do think it is egg related stress, then continue with the baths and calcium.

I would put some sugar water out for her, dip her beak in it and see if she will respond to that - 1tsp of sugar to 1 cup of warm water.

Pictures of her, her stance and her poop woudl go a long way to helping those on this sight evaluate you.

Will she eat anything? First order is getting her to drink.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone, this morning we found one of our Rhode Island reds puffed up in the corner and moving very gingerly. I felt around her vent/abdomen and I don't feel an egg. Her vent isn't clogged. I'm isolating her in a warm spot with electrolyte water and im offering some scrambled egg.
What should I do to diagnose or help her?

Also, her breathing looks and sounds a little labored.

Don't soak her if her breathing looks and sounds labored.

Give her the Extra Calcium, (300mg Calcium Citrate+D3). Work on hydration. Once drinking, see if she will eat a little something.

Photos of her and her poop?

 

[Chicken Elizabeth]

I don't think the switching of food would cause this unless she is simply refusing to eat it.

So I am confused. Do you think she is egg bound or not? Do you know when the last time she laid an egg is? If you don't think she is egg bound, I would not do any more soaks as this can cause more stress if she is already feeling down. If you do think it is egg related stress, then continue with the baths and calcium.

I would put some sugar water out for her, dip her beak in it and see if she will respond to that - 1tsp of sugar to 1 cup of warm water.

Pictures of her, her stance and her poop woudl go a long way to helping those on this sight evaluate you.

Will she eat anything? First order is getting her to drink.

I can't feel an egg, but she is certainly acting egg bound. I gave her sugar water, dipped her beak in a few times and gave her some on my finger. She's not interested. I'm going to dropper some soon. Her breathing is normal now. She is still refusing to eat. She's lying on a towel right now drying off. She has only pooped once today, a tiny bit, and it was very runny.

 

[MarlaMac]

I can't feel an egg, but she is certainly acting egg bound. I gave her sugar water, dipped her beak in a few times and gave her some on my finger. She's not interested. I'm going to dropper some soon. Her breathing is normal now. She is still refusing to eat. She's lying on a towel right now drying off. She has only pooped once today, a tiny bit, and it was very runny.

She is beautiful - the reddest RIR I think I have ever seen.

It makes sense that she is not pooping if she is not eating. Next time she does, please post a picture regardless of how small it is.

The bath may have stressed her and thus the labored breathing.

I would continue to try to get her to take in some fluids. Dropping small amounts of fluids in the side of her mouth is good. The sugar water may give her some energy to finally pick herself up and start drinking on her own. Darkening her area may help her to relax a bit.

If she were my chicken, I would try giving her anything she might be interested in. Boiled chicken, melons, tomatoes (not the stem or leaves) etc. If you can get her to eat a couple of bites of watermelon, you would both hydrate her and get some electrolytes into her.

Rooting for you and for her!