Dotty's internal exam
I am putting this in a spoiler so the squeamish don't have to read the details - but I am really looking for guidance so anyone with the stomach for it and with experience please read and help me out.

I brought Dotty into the mud room because it is very hot and she was clearly showing signs of heat stress, The mud room is still warm - 77F/25C but much cooler than outside. I left her for a while to cool and calm down before doing the exam.
There is nothing strange to see externally around her vent. She has a few poopy streaks - like everyone else (except Diana) she has diarrhea so a few bits of soiling are not surprising. It was very little.
I inserted my index finger all the way to the second knuckle - that is 1+3/4" or about 4.4cm. There was no egg that I could feel. Right at the very tip of my finger I thought maybe I could feel something firm - but at that point it felt like I might be feeling her ribs or back bone or beak!
So my question is, could I have been feeling an egg that far in? I always thought that eggs stuck sort of closer to the vent and I would feel it right there.
WDYT? Not much I can do if that is the case so maybe I just don't want to know!
I have given her extra calcium again so in the last 24 hours she has had a lot of calcium (carbonate and citrate).
Two other facts - she is eating mash and she has pooped twice since I brought her in around mid-day. Diarrhea, but that is unfortunately normal for her recently
You said she was due for an egg today. That far up could be one on its way down. Perhaps to be laid tomorrow morning. Usually when I have seen them stuck they don't seem to be that far in. Her ribs would feel different from the firmness of an egg.
 
You said she was due for an egg today. That far up could be one on its way down. Perhaps to be laid tomorrow morning. Usually when I have seen them stuck they don't seem to be that far in. Her ribs would feel different from the firmness of an egg.
I may subject her to another exam tomorrow if she hasn’t perked up or laid her egg.
It was really, really at the end of my reach - so nearly 2” in and she is not a big hen. So I couldn’t characterize what I felt in any way other than a bit firm.
Sadly I don’t see any sign of molting to explain her being off.
It is cooling down now - below 90 inside where they sleep so I have let her back in. Something that tugged at my heart is that Minnie waited for her to be back before starting her bedtime routine. She just stood in the middle of the floor waiting for her. ❤️❤️
 
I may subject her to another exam tomorrow if she hasn’t perked up or laid her egg.
It was really, really at the end of my reach - so nearly 2” in and she is not a big hen. So I couldn’t characterize what I felt in any way other than a bit firm.
Sadly I don’t see any sign of molting to explain her being off.
It is cooling down now - below 90 inside where they sleep so I have let her back in. Something that tugged at my heart is that Minnie waited for her to be back before starting her bedtime routine. She just stood in the middle of the floor waiting for her. ❤️❤️
It rained here so the temp has dropped precipitously (see what I did there 😉). It is 75°F here down from the upper 90s.

The Rascals are out.

20220804_194819.jpg
20220804_194824.jpg
20220804_194755.jpg
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom