Help please, Eggbound, tried lots of things, WARNING GRAPHIC PICTURE

[hencackle]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! I wouldn't be surprised if that egg is a double-yolker.

If you decide to wash her vent area afterwards, don't use peroxide--it kills living tissue. A weak solution of Betadine is better (you can find it at WalMart in the first aid section, probably on the bottom shelf)

 

[jjthink]

Keeping my fingers crossed too. I feel your frustration and worry and have been there. It's sooo difficult, but hopefuly the techniques in this thread will bring happy relief for your girl. And for you

JJ

 

[LilBrat]

well, she's had another loooooooong warm bath now - 45 minutes of bath. She chose to wander around the bin instead of squatting and try and peck her way out. Now she's out and preening after a good drink (asprin water) and a little snack of scrambled egg with some really finley ground shell mixed in while cooking. We're going to try again soon with the KY to see if we can get the egg out in tact or at least slime it well enough for her to using the syringe. She slept on and off a couple of hours and now seems to want to get out and run around.. ok, walk.
Barring the whole egg thing I have got to find a way to make a finger size hole in that blasted shell to pull that sucker out (gently of course)
added to stuff I never thought I would do: fingers inside a live chicken

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I have no clue where or when, but I am almost sure I remember reading on here where someone actually did have to do a small episiotomy on their hen? At this point I would be giving that more consideration and thinking of ways to quickly stop the bleeding. I am really glad she is still able to go potty. I just hope the little sweetheart makes it through this alright.

 

[hencackle]

To make a finger-sized hole, you will need to make a series of drill-holes, arranged in a circle. That is, unless you have a larger drill bit for your dremel.

A little warning regarding fingers inside a chicken---it has the same reaction as an enema!!!!

 

[mypicklebird]

LONG & BLUNT POST:

So this has been going on for 3 days?
You need to decide
1) why do you have this bird- if it is primarily for eggs, you should cull her, likely she will never be a good layer with this bad start- if she even makes it through this episode. If you can't do it yourself, then take her to someone who can.

2) if this is primarily a pet, and you want to keep her despite a diminished future production ability- then you need to either take her to a vet that can or is willing to try treating a bird NOW, or take her to a poultry experienced person who is willing to help her, or take your chances and try to do it yourself. The longer the egg sits there not moving, the more likely it will adhere (stick) to the tissues and be harder to get out. Scar tissue forms, less chance for other eggs to get through there.

The egg is stuck either because there is something wrong about the egg (too big, too rough, ect) or something wrong with the bird- low calcium, abnormal reproductive tract, other disease, ect.

What a vet would probably do is sedate the bird, give her pain medications (not aspirin- there are better and safer NSAIDs than that), give her fluids, calcium, lube her vent , push it from the outside to where they could see it at the opening to the vent- and implode the egg- then leave her alone in a warm/dark/quiet place to push it out. Handling her is stressful, the more anyone handles her the more stressed she is and she puts less energy into getting the egg out and staying alive.

IF you are stuck with no-one to help your bird but you- stop noodling around with lubricating her, giving her aspirin, and bathing her- and go and break the egg. If you can see it, you can get it. Hold her firmly, feel her belly with your hands on the outside, feel the egg inside of her (your hands and fingers are still on the outside), gently but firmly press it to where you can see it. Hold it with one hand, and break it with a hard instrument at the point where you can see it. Practice on some eggs from your refrigerator so you will know how hard to rap. It is surprisingly hard, and will be harder in the stuck egg as you described as with the rough surface, it is probably too thick. Do not pull out the broken pieces- let her push it out on her own. You are more likely to damage her with the pieces than than she is. If her oviduct is cut by accident or on purpose- the risk for scar tissue will be increased , and likelyhood of future egg binding is increased. There is a possibility you will injure her with this- but if the egg stays there where it is- she will continue to suffer and eventually will die- likely soon. You are her caretaker- so either cull her, take her to someone who can help her- best bet is a good vet- get in the car- even if you live in the middle of nowhere- I assume you can drive into somewhere, or continue to try to help her yourself- but do MORE and do it NOW.

Good luck, and again, the best chance she had to resolve this with no long term consequences was in the first day- her chances diminish the longer this goes on.
Jess

 

[chickenzoo]

know this sounds really stupid but....could you use a small vacuum's sucshion to hold the egg out while you use a needle to suck out the inside off the egg?

 

[seminolewind]

I like blunt people!!!!

If it were my chicken, I would go to a vet. If that's not possible, I think I would break the egg. It's not the first thing I would do, but since everything's been tried already, it would be the next step I would take. And a small episiotomy I would really think about too.
Women have had them for years andyears, and have ripped and torn since adam and eve. If there's bleeding, I would have to apply a cloth and some pressure till it stops.
Since you're a brave soul, you could even put a stitch or two in the cut .
Do have any idea whether it's stuck to the walls inside, if suction's the problem or just too big an egg?

 

[moenmitz]

Been reading this, and the latest post about a vaccum sounds like a decent idea. I would try to take a vaccum cleaner hose and suck it out. The longer it stays in contact with the egg, the more the suction will build. If it cant get it out, I bet it could help it stay out long enough for you to get a hole in it.

Hope it works!

 

[Dar]

the loud noise of the vacuume may frighten the chicken even more if you are going to try a "vacuume" I would look at some medical supply stores or maybe even a farm store I know they have a hand held vacuume that you pump (the handle is like a pistol grip) to create the suction...its almost like a suction cup with a hose attached and the more you pump the handle the more suction you have...

keep us posted how she is...