Help! Is my hen egg bound or just sleepy?

[Riverbend Farms]

How should we give her the nutri drench and calcium citrate?

 

[BelovedBirds]

They don't have oyster shells

ok, layer feed does contain some calcium in it, but they need the option of crushed oyster shell grit, and will take what they need from it- without access to these, they may end up deficient in calcium- I dont actually have chickens, I have ducks who have layer pellets, but they also have oyster shells and grit available, but I assume its the same for chickens.

 

[BelovedBirds]

How should we give her the nutri drench and calcium citrate?

I think you can put nutri drench in her water, it may have instructions on the packaging on how to dilute it- I havent used nutridrench, so I'm not sure specifically- @azygous
and the calcium depends what form its in. I use powdered calcium gluconate for my girls if they have egg trouble, but the dosage may be different depending on the product. Is your calcium in the form of powder, capsules or liquid?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

She is laying

How long has she been laying for?

 

[azygous]

Here is my tutorial on the types of calcium and which is most suitable for hens.

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy.

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

 

[azygous]

It's unusual, but not unheard of, for a young layer to become eggbound. It doesn't hurt to pop a calcium citrate tablet into the beak in case there are egg issues developing. It can boost calcium levels quickly and help with contractions if an egg is hung up. This is what I buy.

But I'm wondering if the heat has anything to do with this. It doesn't hurt to give her some electrolytes today and see if she improves.

 

[SmiYa0126]

How should we give her the nutri drench and calcium citrate?

Open her beak and put the tablet in into it. She may resist, and then make sure she swallows. For nutri drench, give it to her straight. See if she'll drink from a shallow cup. I held it to my hens beak and she would drink, another hen I dipped her beak into it and then she would also drink. Worst case, use your finger to dip and put it on her beak.

 

[The Chickadee Homstead]

They don't have oyster shells

Oyster shells are very important, because Chickens need calcium to push their eggs out, and if they don’t they get egg bound

 

[The Chickadee Homstead]

Hello! Please help me! My 5 month old Black sex link pullet seems to egg bound or sleep. What is she? I am worried because my previous hen (9 month old old english game bantam) acted like this. She was sleepy and never made a single sound. The last sound she made was right before we gave her to the vets for her to be put down. Her eyes are clear. Her comb is red (its normal color) and she can walk and stand and run. She isn't panting. Her wings arent drooped. She isn't in penguin pose. Her comb is just flopped a bit more than normal and the tip of her tail is down. She also keeps falling asleep
View attachment 3196756

Check her vent, if it’s red and/or swollen she probably is egg bound

 

[SmiYa0126]

They also have access to redwood mulch, could that be the issue?

I don't see anything about red wood being bad for them, cedar yes. I think it should be ok.