Hello All, I have looked around the site, but still unsure..............I have a 6 month old Australorpe hen that has been odd the past 2 days. I keep finding her in the nesting box for long periods of time, while out in the yard she scratches a bit and walks around. Many time I find her in a "roosting" position on the ground. She is pecking at food/grass/lettuces and drinking water. I found yellow dried diahrrea and her hind end feathers. When I felt around her vent she did not feel swollen...........Egg bound? Please help this newbie........ Melody
Has she ever laid any eggs? The yellow dried material on her back end - could it be egg yolk? It does sound as if she is having trouble passing an egg, perhaps one that is shell-less or that has broken inside her. You might want to try treating for egg binding to see if that helps her. Instructions are in post #3 in this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=502419 Good luck to you and keep us posted.
Fill up your bath tub with warm water, high enough to cover her vent area (8-10 in depending on the size of your hen). Gently put her in the tub, and then sit with your hand on her back, and keep her there for 30 min. Then wrap her in a towel & dry her off, if you have a kennel to keep her in, put her in that with food & water till she is dry. I did that last night with one of my BO hens. She stayed in over night, and was back to her old self this morning. Just shook a cup of BOSS, and she came out of the kennel, and walked right out the kitchen into the back yard.
Quote:X2. I had a hen with the same symptoms recently. Did exactly what is suggested on post 3 on the link RhodeSlandRedFan posted, and was able to pull out an empty shell. When I told my husband, he remembered seeing a shell less egg on the poop tray that morning... Good luck, keep us posted!
