First Egg Bound Chicken

[JessicaDotta]

I'm posting here more for moral support than anything else. My favorite egg layer is egg bound.

Yesterday I noticed she was hiding from the chickens. She's my most cuddle-resistant hen, but she stayed in my arms to be held, so I knew. So far, I've bathed her in a warm bath with Epson. Given her calcium gluconate and electrolytes. I'm making sure she stays hydrated. I can feel the egg with the tips of my fingers, and it feels leathery. She's been lubricated. I've massaged her abdomen hoping to budge the egg or change its position.

I gave her a pet heating pad, and that seemed to help the most. She started to contract and there's some poop, which tells me she's doing her best to pass the egg.

I'm at 24 hours, and I'm worried. The egg isn't at an angle where I'd attempt to syringe it. I've talked to the vet to see what they'd offer besides calcium gluconate. They can sedate and remove the egg, which costs about $150, but I'm not planning on taking that route.

I really hope she's able to pull out of this.

 

[MysteryChicken]

@Eggcessive

@azygous

@Wyorp Rock

 

[JessicaDotta]

I'm posting here more for moral support than anything else. My favorite egg layer is egg bound.

Yesterday I noticed she was hiding from the chickens. She's my most cuddle-resistant hen, but she stayed in my arms to be held, so I knew. So far, I've bathed her in a warm bath with Epson. Given her calcium gluconate and electrolytes. I'm making sure she stays hydrated. I can feel the egg with the tips of my fingers, and it feels leathery. She's been lubricated. I've massaged her abdomen hoping to budge the egg or change its position.

I gave her a pet heating pad, and that seemed to help the most. She started to contract and there's some poop, which tells me she's doing her best to pass the egg.

I'm at 24 hours, and I'm worried. The egg isn't at an angle where I'd attempt to syringe it. I've talked to the vet to see what they'd offer besides calcium gluconate. They can sedate and remove the egg, which costs about $150, but I'm not planning on taking that route.

I really hope she's able to pull out of this.

Update: She did pull out of it. Her egg didn't turn out to be leathery, which makes me suspect her egg was caught in her own lining. For anyone reading this bc of their own eggbound emergency, she didn't lay another egg for three to four days, though I saw her poop, so I let her rejoin the flock. She's started laying again, though her eggs are half their size, so I'm guessing her system is restarting.

In the meantime, I feel really proud that I saved my chicken.

 

[micstrachan]

Update: She did pull out of it. Her egg didn't turn out to be leathery, which makes me suspect her egg was caught in her own lining. For anyone reading this bc of their own eggbound emergency, she didn't lay another egg for three to four days, though I saw her poop, so I let her rejoin the flock. She's started laying again, though her eggs are half their size, so I'm guessing her system is restarting.

In the meantime, I feel really proud that I saved my chicken.

Well done!

 

[LABird]

Update: She did pull out of it. Her egg didn't turn out to be leathery, which makes me suspect her egg was caught in her own lining. For anyone reading this bc of their own eggbound emergency, she didn't lay another egg for three to four days, though I saw her poop, so I let her rejoin the flock. She's started laying again, though her eggs are half their size, so I'm guessing her system is restarting.

In the meantime, I feel really proud that I saved my chicken.

Thank you for the update! I just found your post and was wondering what happened. Thank you too for saying you checked with a vet even if you didn’t go that route. It’s important to check all avenues, I feel.