Help! Hen seems to be extremely eggbound, no idea what to do!!!

77horses

◊The Spontaneous Pullet!◊
15 Years
Aug 19, 2008
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Maine
I have a Red Sex-Link hen, named Cinnamon, who seems to be extremely eggbound, although I have no idea what's wrong with her.
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Her entire comb is blueish/purple and very cold, she can barely open her eyes, she has heavy breathing, she can't walk, and her entire bottom is bloated and swollen like a balloon.
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Please help!!!
1) What type of bird , age and weight: Red Star/Red Sex-Link hen, about 2.5 years old, weight unknown.
2) What is the behavior, exactly: not able to stand up, squinting eyes, heavy breathing, comb is purple/very cold, whole bottom bare and swollen/bloated like a balloon and feels very heavy-weighted.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? For about less than a day, just noticed it this morning when I went out to let them out, and she was lying on the coop floor in a corner with her head tucked into the wall. She has acted slightly eggbounded a few times before, but has always come out of it.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma: Nothing besides the swollen/bare bottom, and she's missing a lot of feathers, but for some reason she has always lacked a lot of feathers lately, whether that's from molting or something else.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation: I think she's extremely eggbound, but I have no idea.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all: Cracked corn/egg layer pellets, plus free ranging and any other extra treats...and water is always available.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Not sure yet.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Separated her from the rest of the flock.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like to treat her myself. I love all of my chickens and I'm a vegetarian, so they're strictly used as pets/egg consumption and I have never had to cull a chicken, nor would I ever want to unless it was the last possible solution, and even then I would have someone else do it. I really don't want to cull her, although right now in her condition I don't know what to do.
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She's one of my favorite hens that I raised since she was a baby chick and it's horrible to see her like this.
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11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. No picture available right now.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: pine shavings/hay (nest boxes)

Any help whatsoever would be appreciated!
Thank you!
 
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Yay Chicks! :

I'm so sorry. Have you done the typical eggbound chicken warm bath yet?

No, I haven't. How could I do that?​
 
When you say she has acted slightly egg bound before but come out of it...how did she go about coming out of it? Did she finally lay an egg? Was it just one? Was it a regular egg? Look up internal laying on here also. There is a difference between the two. I have only had to deal with the egg bound and usually am able to help them by soaking them in warm water for a half hour or so and then later they manage to expell the egg. Also, is there anything coming out of the vent? Is it pulsing?
sharon
 
Fill a deep sink or rubber container with warm water. You want the water to come up to her back. Place your hand on her back to keep her there. I think it's about twenty minutes or so. Some advise lubing her vent with some olive oil. You'll have to blow dry her after. They usually love that.

There is a really good thread on her somewhere with more specifics. Let me see if I can find it...
 
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Every once in a while, she would act lethargic and just stand around, with her butt pointed towards the ground. It would last until she finally passed the egg, which always looked normal.
Right now, there's nothing coming out of her vent whatsoever, and it's pulsing because of her labored breathing.
Also, what could be causing her purple/cold comb? I'm pretty sure it means she's having circulation problems, but I don't know how that could be related to either internal laying/eggbound.
I will go do some research on internal laying, too.

Thanks!
 
If it's internal, it is building up inside her, it becomes a mass and can interfere with her heart and/or blood circulation. Speckled hen has had extensive experience with this. you can see some of her posts.
sharon
 
I just read something about giving her a TUMS (Give her a TUM ("emergency substitute for calcium gluconate that vets give with eggbinding")...could that possibly help?
Thanks everyone for the help...I'm going to give her a warm bath as soon as possible too...
 
Yes, at this stage, I'd definitely be trying that. It should help her to pass anything causing a blockage.
Do you have any antibiotics available? They may not be necessary, but if an egg has broken inside her she may have or develop an infection. When did she last lay, and how regularly does she usually lay?

Is she eating and drinking ok today?
I really hope she manages to pull through for you!
 

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