eggbound or internal layer?

[ravenseye57]

This Fall I was given some hens by an aquaintance and one of them, a RIR of uncertain age (probably 2-3 yrs old) appears eggbound. Tail down, runny stool, large, lumpy hard abdomen. I've given her the warm bath, held her on my lap with a heating pad and damp towel, lubed her vent with KY, and massaged her abdomen. She's eating and drinking but pretty quiet. Her color is good now, she was a bit pale when I first brought her in. She doesn't seem to be in much discomfort unless I press too hard on her abdomen. Any advice? Might she have cysts or be an internal layer? I couldn't feel an egg when I lubed her vent, but maybe I wasn't in the ovaduct. It does feel like there's an egg when I feel her abdomen, but it could be some other sort of mass. This is day two, so the clock is ticking.

 

[NYRIR]

I would try another bath....is she having trouble breathing?

 

[ravenseye57]

I've given her the bath twice now and also tried holding her over the gas heater wrapped in a warm damp towel. Nothing came out as far as I can tell.
I read some of the threads on ascites and internal laying and I'm starting to suspect that one of those, probably cysts since her abdomen feels like there's a mass/masses in there,could be the trouble. She doesn't really seem to be having breathing trouble and her appetite is good, but whatever is in her abdomen is starting to block her digestive tract so that only lquids are getting out I'm afraid. Her poop is greenish and runny. I put her back out with the flock and she seems perkier and isn't as "tail down" as before, but I'm afraid that's just because I helped relieve her poop blockage a bit with the KY.
I suspected she was a non-layer even before this so I'm afraid she's going to have to be culled. To of the other hens I got from him had troubles, cysts in one and ascites in the other, that I didn't know about until I butchered them. I just knew they weren't laying at all. There are 5 RIRs in the bunch though, so it's been tricky to tell who's laying and who isn't.

 

[NYRIR]

Awe, sorry to hear that. I finally culled a pet hen that was swelled up after allowing her to have the rest of the summer to wander around the yard,free range during the day.I had to keep draining the area when she would get uncomfortable, but then she;d be good for a week or two.

 

[ravenseye57]

Thanks! Luckily I haven't had her long so though she's sweet I'm not that attached. She still seems better since her "spa treatment", but her abdomen is still large so I'm afraid it is one of the other problems (ascites, internal layer or cysts). Can't afford to feed too many pets, especially since I feed organic, so she'll have to be one that I do a "laying check" on. My oldest hens (other than the freebies) will be three this spring, so I guess I have to get used to the idea of culling non layers, and maybe keeping a separate group of oldies but goodies that I pasture and feed commercial grains and sell the eggs a bit cheaper.
For now at least this girl is feeling pretty comfortable I think, so I can take my time a bit more and see what happens.

 

[NYRIR]

Yep, I understand about the feed prices....keep us posted on the hen!