HELP!! My Bantam hen acts like there's an egg stuck in her!

Athenasjustice

In the Brooder
7 Years
May 28, 2012
23
1
24
Somerset, Ky.
O-kay......I have a B.B. Red Bantam hen. Aprox. 1 1/2 yrs. old weighing about 14 oz. She has been raised in a pen with a B.B. Red rooster and another hen. The pen is off the ground with a wire bottom.
4 days ago I noticed that she wasnt her usual playful, talkitive self. She was to the side of the pen, by herself, and her feathers were fluffed......indicating to me that she wasn't feeling well. Usually she will meet me at the door talking to me.......jumping in the feed bucket to snatch a few extra bites. But not this time. It was time for me to worm ALL of my chickens, so I figured that may be what was wrong with her. After worming......she got no better. I put her in a cage and brought her into my home for some 1 on 1 care. She eats and drinks fine but still acts ill.
I have watched her and noticed that she ACTS like she cant use the bathroom. When I got her out today, I noticed she has a foul odor coming from her vent and there's poop stuck all over her vent feathers. Also, her butt (I don't know what it's called) hole is VERY inflamed, red and I noticed there were spots of blood on her feather's when I was bathing her off. I was scared (still am) and thought that maybe she SOMEHOW ate something that has her insides bound up. So, I gave her an enema. Yes, I gave my chicken an enema hoping that would help flush out whatever is in there.
While I was at it, I figured I had gone this far, I might as well take it one step further. So, I massaged her butt muscle. She kept pushing and pushing while I was doing it and I felt something along the thinnest part crack. Like an egg shell! After that, she actually LOOKED a little better but is still pushing like she can't poop or lay.

I don't know what to do! Have I messed up with my actions to try and make her feel better? I don't want my lil' Fatty-Fatty to die! PLEASE! Give me some advice on how I can better help her!
 
I am sssoooo sorry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't know what to do.
I will say a prayer.........................................
 
DON"T BE TOO ALARMED!!!!!! This happens often to my little banny hen. But her in a box with straw or a towel and put a lamp over her for heat, Don't put it too close so she is uncomfortably hot. Make her drink sugar water. If that doesn't work soak her abdomen in warm water. I hope this helps her....It is always scary the first time.GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!
hugs.gif
MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT BREAK THE EGG!!!!!!! How long has she been this way???????Also you can put vasiline or veggie oil on the inside of the vent( or rear end).....Nasty I know but it helps......
 
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DON"T BE TOO ALARMED!!!!!! This happens often to my little banny hen. But her in a box with straw or a towel and put a lamp over her for heat, Don't put it too close so she is uncomfortably hot. Make her drink sugar water. If that doesn't work soak her abdomen in warm water. I hope this helps her....It is always scary the first time.GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!
hugs.gif
MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT BREAK THE EGG!!!!!!! How long has she been this way???????Also you can put vasiline or veggie oil on the inside of the vent( or rear end).....Nasty I know but it helps......
Tomorrow will make 5 days that she has been like this. Ive NEVER seen anything LIKE this! You say NOT to break the egg......so....it IS an egg thats stuck and making her sick?! And.....while I was massaging her rear, it FELT as if something LIKE an egg shell CRACKED. What will happen to her if it was or is? I dont care HOW nasty something is! I have to do ALL I can to try and save my Fatty-Fatty! THANK YOU for the advice and i WILL do the vasiline thing! And Ill also try soaking her in warm water! How long before I see any results? And what results should I LOOK for?
 
In a similar situation we went inside the vent with a finger and removed the broken shell. I do not want to tell you what to do but if it were my hen that's what I would do.Be careful not to push too hard against the vent wall as it could injure the lining. You may want check another source for advice, obviously you could seek professional help as well. (Vet.).
 
Also we had one hen that had a partially developed egg stuck in her vent that felt like it was broken when it really was not. The egg was leathery and would "crinkle' when pushed against making it feel like a broken shell which it was not.
 
Well......I'm afraid that its all over but the crying. My Lil' Fatty-Fatty has stopped eating and drinking.
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Nothing I have tried has helped. I KNOW she is pain cuz she actually wimpers when she pushes. I don't want to see her die but I WON'T have her suffering and in pain! I don't know what else to do...........................Thank you to the people who tried to help resolve this with me.
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She is egg-bound. This is really scary, and you need to pull through! Stay with her!

Put her in a dark room in a tub with warm water. The water should be high enough to reach her vent. The warmth is supposed to relax the muscles and let the egg slide out. We saved one or two chickens with this method.
 
This is what I did for a stuck shell. Get gloves, a large syringe no needle on it, container of warm water and mineral oil. If no mineral oil, any other oil will work in a pinch. You may need someone to help hold her still. Put a towel over her head to keep her calm. Test the water like you would a baby, should feel nice and warm. Put a little oil in the water and inject it in. The warmth will help her relax, the oil eases the passage of the shell. Keep doing this until you are sure all the egg shell is pushed out. She will start pushing when she feels the warm water. I did this to an older hen and saved her. Best done outside of course it will be messy so make sure you and the hen are comfortable. I was reaching in there to gently feel for more shell with gloved finger, then rinsing some more.

If successful with this, then rinse with regular watered down vinegar to rinse her out and help prevent infection - not ACV. She may need some antibiotics since its been in her a while. Good luck.
 
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