Yesterday I went to my ten hens to give them a treat, but noticed that Dusty, one of the Cream Legbars, was not interested in the food. She stood away from the group, eyes half closed, feathers fluffed - that look that none of us want to see on our chickens. She was definitely not well, but the only things I know how to do for a sick chicken is to pray and to check whether she's eggbound. (What to do if she is eggbound is another story; I'd have to go online and find out!)
So I got a pair of latex gloves and some lubricant, and I explored inside Dusty trying to feel for a stuck egg. She didn't resist me. I didn't feel anything, though, and put her back with her buddies. I really have no place to isolate her because I just bought 4-week-old pullets that I'm keeping separate. I let the hens out to free range for a while, but Dusty was not interested. Instead, she headed for the nest box. Hm. I figured it was that poking around inside her that made her feel like she's supposed to lay an egg, so she went to the nest. After a few minutes, I called and locked up all the hens in the run (we have too many predators to allow them to free range without me keeping watch).
An hour later, I went out to check on the pullets and decided to let the hens free range again. Out ran Dusty with all the others, pecking at grass and trying to keep up with the others, acting perfectly normal. I checked the nest box and found two eggs: one blue one that was definitely hers plus a rubber egg. Now it was late in the evening, long past when the hens normally lay, so I'm guessing that both of these are from Dusty. She acting perfectly normal today, happy as can be.
Now I've heard that it's not possible for a hen to lay two eggs in one day, and I'm suspecting that she did this in one sitting. Anyone else have a similar experience??
So I got a pair of latex gloves and some lubricant, and I explored inside Dusty trying to feel for a stuck egg. She didn't resist me. I didn't feel anything, though, and put her back with her buddies. I really have no place to isolate her because I just bought 4-week-old pullets that I'm keeping separate. I let the hens out to free range for a while, but Dusty was not interested. Instead, she headed for the nest box. Hm. I figured it was that poking around inside her that made her feel like she's supposed to lay an egg, so she went to the nest. After a few minutes, I called and locked up all the hens in the run (we have too many predators to allow them to free range without me keeping watch).
An hour later, I went out to check on the pullets and decided to let the hens free range again. Out ran Dusty with all the others, pecking at grass and trying to keep up with the others, acting perfectly normal. I checked the nest box and found two eggs: one blue one that was definitely hers plus a rubber egg. Now it was late in the evening, long past when the hens normally lay, so I'm guessing that both of these are from Dusty. She acting perfectly normal today, happy as can be.
Now I've heard that it's not possible for a hen to lay two eggs in one day, and I'm suspecting that she did this in one sitting. Anyone else have a similar experience??
