Head hen had trouble passing an egg/now acting off!

For reproductive infections, I prefer to use amoxicillin or enrofloxacin. Those are not usually available at feedstores.
I did order some amoxicillin but in meantime got her started on intravenous oxytetracycline 1/2 ml dose. It’s supposed to treat both gram negative & positive bacteria infection. Did you see the pics above? She’s sitting in the dog crate definitely low energy & very quiet but doesn’t seem overly uncomfortable or Ill. Eggish discharge hanging from her vent.
 
Yes I see it. That could be egg parts or membrane. I would try to gently remove any membrane and clean her off with a little warm water. The oxytetracycline is alright to use until you get the amoxicillin. It only has to be given every 3 days.
 
Yes I see it. That could be egg parts or membrane. I would try to gently remove any membrane and clean her off with a little warm water. The oxytetracycline is alright to use until you get the amoxicillin. It only has to be given every 3 days.
Okay thank you! my neighbor said to bath her in epsom salt. Is that recommended for this situation?
 
It depends. If she is stressed and very weak, bathing can push them over the edge, and can kill them. Use your judgement. If you can clean her off well enough to let it go until later, do that. An alternative to bathing is to place the hen inside a warm humid room, such as an extra bathroom with some steam. A heating pad on low under neath a towel might be good instead. The calcium can help muscle contraction to help move another egg along if there is one.
 
It depends. If she is stressed and very weak, bathing can push them over the edge, and can kill them. Use your judgement. If you can clean her off well enough to let it go until later, do that. An alternative to bathing is to place the hen inside a warm humid room, such as an extra bathroom with some steam. A heating pad on low under neath a towel might be good instead. The calcium can help muscle contraction to help move another egg along if there is one.
Thanks. She seems fine. I did use a hot towel to clean her vent & realized when doing so that the reproductive membranes weren’t sticking to her vent, they were hanging lower down her bottom & some feathers were missing & her skin a bit red & puffy in that area. Her vent looked clean & normal. So now I guess we just wait & see if she lays an egg over the next few days while giving her calcium & antibiotics?
 
It's good they weren't sticking from the vent. Red skin below the vent may be some irritation from urates/getting soiled. You can put a little Hen Healer or NuStock on the skin to help sooth and heal it.
Sometimes it is a wait and see type of thing. Hopefully the medications will help.
 
It's good they weren't sticking from the vent. Red skin below the vent may be some irritation from urates/getting soiled. You can put a little Hen Healer or NuStock on the skin to help sooth and heal it.
Sometimes it is a wait and see type of thing. Hopefully the medications will help.
So far so good. She has been isolated in a dog crate since yesterday and seems like herself. No more straining to pass an egg or anything since yesterday either and her poop is no longer watery discolored. It’s back to normal shape & color. I have been giving her the calcium citrate once a day. Tomorrow I may put her back with the rest of the hens and just continue antibiotics and calcium from there.
 
@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive I put her back in coop this morning & boy was she happy to be back, running around foraging & pecking at anyone who got in her way. She acts like nothing is wrong now but hasn’t laid an egg since Saturday when she had that partial egg stuck to her. She usually lays about 3-4 XL eggs a week si not too concerned about that yet. It did warm up to 50’s here. So I’m not sure if she recovered so quickly due to the antibiotic injection or calcium pills? Either way we are glad! We did start her on amoxicillin today & will continue that for 10 days as well as the calcium for 5 days total. Thanks a bunch for your quick help!
 
I would get some Calcium into her. 1 Caltrate tablet once a day.

She may be having trouble passing another egg - the Calcium may help with that. Work on hydrating her, electrolytes or some warmed sugar water.
The Shivering is concerning, I would move her some place warmer.

I would also consider giving an antibiotic if the membrane was broken and there was a possibility the contents of the egg leaked back into the vent and oviduct. I would give Amoxicillin at a dose of 57mg per pound of weight, orally twice a day for 10-14 days.
Am I giving the correct dose of amoxicillin? She is approximately 8lbs & I am giving her one 500mg pill per day.
 

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