Eggbound quail?

[poison_ivy]

On Saturday morning I noticed that one of my hens was puffy, lethargic and had a lot of discharge around her vent. Her vent was swollen and red, but not bleeding. After a warm bath with epson salts, I discovered what looked like a collapsed, shell-less egg stuck in her vent. With the help of a little oil, I was able to pull the egg membrane out. I moved her to an isolated tank inside with food and water.

In the two days since then, I've seen her drink water, but she refuses to eat. She only makes white, watery poops. She is not puffed up any more, but she keeps closing her eyes and elongating her neck as if she is straining. Her vent looks normal and is no longer swollen or red. I tried giving her another 30-min long epson bath and have been applying lubricating ointment to her vent. I also tried feeling around her belly area and couldn't feel any egg-sized lumps.

Is she still egg bound? Or is it something else? What can I do to encourage her to eat and poop normally?

 

[Nabiki]

It sounds like something else at this point. If she were egg bound, she wouldn't be pooping at all.

Is she getting enough calcium? If she isn't already separated from the other birds, then separate her right away. I don't normally recommend treats, but will Ashe eat any? Try feeding her some boiled, crushed egg yolk.

 

[poison_ivy]

It sounds like something else at this point. If she were egg bound, she wouldn't be pooping at all.

Is she getting enough calcium? If she isn't already separated from the other birds, then separate her right away. I don't normally recommend treats, but will Ashe eat any? Try feeding her some boiled, crushed egg yolk.

Thanks for your help.

She is separated. Normally they have calcium available to them in the form of oyster shells. I recently bought some calcium citrate that I can crush up and make available to her also. I think that is a more absorbable type of calcium.

I tried offering her treats. She will still eat mealworms. I have been giving her no more than 10 worms a day, as I know they are not healthy. Should I offer more meal worms? I will try feeding egg yolk now.

 

[Nabiki]

Thanks for your help.

She is separated. Normally they have calcium available to them in the form of oyster shells. I recently bought some calcium citrate that I can crush up and make available to her also. I think that is a more absorbable type of calcium.

I tried offering her treats. She will still eat mealworms. I have been giving her no more than 10 worms a day, as I know they are not healthy. Should I offer more meal worms? I will try feeding egg yolk now.

Try the egg yolk first. That will be more nutritious. If she won't eat that, then give her what she will eat, especially if she's losing weight.

Are there any other symptoms?
@007Sean

Watery or green poop comes from not eating.

 

[poison_ivy]

Thank you so much for your help.

Cooking her up some egg yolk now. I haven't noticed any other symptoms other than what I described above. Here are a few photos of her from this afternoon. Maybe you will notice something I have missed.

 

[vall]

Have you seen her eat the calcium citrate (I assume that's in the bowl)? If not, open her beak and put a little piece on her tongue. She should just swallow it. It will help immediately with soft shells, but I agree she may have another issue.

 

[007Sean]

There might be a piece or maybe several pieces of the shell still inside her? Only real way to know would be an x-ray. From the pics, she doesn't look like she's in too bad of shape. If she hasn't eaten anything in a few days, she will be excreting watery poops.
Calcium citrate, liquid form, would be better to give to her....it will be absorbed immediately. You can find it in the pharmacy at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens or your local grocery store.

 

[poison_ivy]

Thank you so much everyone. My hen has eaten a little since this afternoon! She ate some of the cooked egg yolks and some calcium. She also did two small, white poops. She is still stretching her neck and closing her eyes like she's straining.

I am cautiously optimistic. Hopefully she continues eating more tomorrow. I will make a trip to the pharmacy and see if I can find the liquid form of calcium citrate.

 

[poison_ivy]

For anyone interested, my hen is looking much better. She has started eating her regular feed and pooping normally as well. I'll likely move her back outside with her friends in the next couple days. Thanks again everyone who helped!

 

[Nabiki]

For anyone interested, my hen is looking much better. She has started eating her regular feed and pooping normally as well. I'll likely move her back outside with her friends in the next couple days. Thanks again everyone who helped!

I'm glad to hear that she's doing better.