Help hen is suffering egg bound or what??

[chicknmania]

WE have a 3 yo standard sized hen who this morning was straining, has a bloody vent and is dripping white diarhea.
Obviously she is not eating or drinking and is in distress. This hen was broody recently and hatched one chick
who just fledged last month, so the hen would only have resumed laying a few weeks ago. Could she be egg bound
She is free range and runs every day. Please hurry someone as I don't want her to suffer, but I (understandably)
am not looking forward to probing around in her vent...:...I was always under the impressiion that if the hens
free range they don't usually have this problem...in any case we have not had the problem before. Suggestions?
Should I just have her put down?

 

[Beaky Buzzard]

It sounds like she's egg-bound. Sometimes you can feel an egg that is stuck without probing the vent.Using your index finger gently push upward on the soft area just below the vent. You can sometimes feel an egg in the canal from the outside. Separate the hen and put her in a straw-ligned box under a heat lamp. Often a hen becomes egg-bound from lack of nutrition and/or weak muscles that push the egg outward. We had this problem until providing the hens with a steady supply of oyster shells to provide the necessary calcium for muscle tone. We free range but keep a small box of oyster shells near their waterer.The muscles become tired and contract tight around the egg like a cramp. We have given hens a shot of warm sugar water with a plastic syringe with a short rubber hose to provide a burst of energy. Some have suggested holding the hen down in about 3 inches of warm water to aleaviate stress and relax the muscles. Though is can be frustrating the hen will usually pass the egg after some rest. There is a waelth of info available by doing a web search on eggbound hens. Let us know how things work out. Best regards.

 

[chicknmania]

Thanks for the information. When I went out and looked at her again I realized it was a
prolapse. We did start trying to fix her but she was very sick and I couldn't stand it
and besides really I wanted someone with experience to hold my hand every step
of the way on something like that. I didn't want her to suffer anymore. We
culled her yesterday evening.