**HELP~EGGBOUND HEN!!

[crystalchik]

Hi,
I have a Belgian d'Uccle hen that I think is egg bound. She has not been acting right and I noticed she has not laid an egg in a few days. Yesterday she began to get a pasty butt and she was panting...I felt her abdomen and I think I felt crunching like eggs shells. So I gave her 2 Tums thinking maybe that would help.
Today she looks much worse and her butt is completely covered with half formed and half not form poop. She really doesnt look good and I dont know what to do when the egg is crushed. Im okay with whole eggs! If any one can give me some advice on what I can do to save this girl I would really appreciate it!!
Thank you very much!
Crystalchik

 

[miss_thenorth]

Did you do a search on this? I'm not exactly sure , if you think the egg is broken, but I had a hen who was laying rubber eggs, and having a hard time with one, I massaged her vent to help it out. That's about all I can offer, but I do reccommend a search on eggbound. good Luck!!

 

[arlee453]

Soaking her bottom in a pan of warm water can sometimes help them pass the egg, but if it is already broken in there it may or may not be able to pass. You can also 'lube' up her vent with some KY jelly or olive oil and massage the area afterwards.

A search will help you with other ideas too...hope she pulls through for you!

 

[crystalchik]

Thank you guys for the quick responses...I will deff do some research! She is not looking well, I hope she will be okay. If anyone else has any ideas, I would love to hear them!
Thank you again,
Crystalchik

 

[jjthink]

If those shells perforated she may be getting a serious infection. Any chance you can bring her to an avian vet? At minimum, she may need antibiotics.

JJ

 

[crystalchik]

Hi,
just wanted to tell you that my little girl passed on tonight. I feel like is my fault though...can anyone tell me? I am looking for a truthful answer.
Here is what happened: She was on antibiotics and was just getting worse. She looked miserable and was really skinny. I decided to check to see if maybe it was just a rubber shell she just couldnt pass. What I found was a bunch of crushed shells. She had already been bleeding when I picked her up, not real bad, though. I could see the shells in there so tried to get them out...EXTREMELY carefully!!! I got out a few pieces and was very careful not to hurt her or push anything back in farther. And she was actually pushing very hard to get it out as well. After a few minutes, she began to flap like she was really scared and threw her head back, eyes wide and glassy. I knew what was happening and I tried to keep her from going, and then tried to get her back, but I couldnt. It was horrible watching her die in my hands. I feel so guilty and I've been crying for the last hour and a half because i feel like it is my fault.
Can anyone tell me if it is? Please be honest. What could I have done to get out crushed shell and what causes the egg to crush in there?
Thank you for any information you can give me,
Crystalchik

 

[a2ms4chickens]

I'm sorry you lost your girl. I lost a bantam RIR hen the same way, a few months back.

I don't know what causes the eggs to break, so I will be reading this thread to see if anyone else has any ideas.

I felt guilty, too. I did try putting her in warm water, and I did put vaseline around her vent, but unfortunately, it didn't work. All I could do was keep her comfortable.

You did what you could and she knew that you cared about her. Unfortunately, there are some things we can't control.

Again, I am sorry for your loss.

Angie

 

[Mrs MIA]

:aww I am so sorry you had to go through that. I don't know that there was anything you could have done for her once she reached that point.

I am sorry...

 

[dlhunicorn]

Unless you actually bROKE the egg (for instance by feeling around in there >not a good idea) which I do not think you did as you stated you felt inside AFTER you felt the broken egg, then no I do not feel it was your "fault". When an egg breaks inside the infection that can happen is usually from the contents of the egg (it sometimes goes septic very quickly and the bird dies within 24 hours). The ONLY thing you could have done differently was to get to a vet... if you feel an egg has broken get to a vet if at all possible > they will usually give a powerful antibiotic such as baytril and will know how to properly remove the shells .

 

[dangerouschicken]

I am sorry this happened with your hen. I don't think there was much more you could have done. It was just her time to go.