HELP Sick Hen Possibly Egg Bound

[Marymc31]

I need help with my approx. 8-9 month old red sex link hen. She is normally a great layer but has not laid in at least a few days.

I first noticed something was wrong when I saw her standing in the same position yesterday with her eyes closed, opening and closing her beak as if she was crowing or singing.

Her back side almost looks as if it is breathing or pulsing—it swells and contracts a lot. She is still standing mostly in the same position with her eyes closed and her beak opening and closing. *If she is egg bound, it is not nutritional as I feed her very high quality feed with oyster shells always available and black solider fly grubs as a treat.

I am a new chicken mom very inexperienced. I have no idea what to do. I read I should put her in a warm bath but I have no idea what to do from there assuming the egg does not just come out. I don’t have adequate supplies to segregate her and treat her.

Please help!! Thank you so much.

 

[Marymc31]

Here are some photos. I took a short video to show her backside looking like it is “breathing” in and out but don’t think I can post it here. Thank you so much for your help!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Sit her in warm water. You're trying to relax her muscles to aid in pushing out the blockage. When in water reach in with finger to see if you can feel the blockage, do anything.

Out of water towel her off and lube her vent, around and in, with mineral or veg oil. Keep her inside. She's not going to be active at all until the eggs pass. If they don't pass she won't last long. Keep her warm and try a warm bath now and then 98-100F. I've used a large pot.

It doesn't always work, good luck.

 

[Marymc31]

Sit her in warm water. You're trying to relax her muscles to aid in pushing out the blockage. When in water reach in with finger to see if you can feel the blockage, do anything.

Out of water towel her off and lube her vent, around and in, with mineral or veg oil. Keep her inside. She's not going to be active at all until the eggs pass. If they don't pass she won't last long. Keep her warm and try a warm bath now and then 98-100F. I've used a large pot.

It doesn't always work, good luck.

Thank you so much. I have her in the bathtub now. I assume I need the water to get pretty high to reach where the eggs come out? I literally know nothing about chicken anatomy. I don’t know where to reach to check if there is an egg there. Do you think based on what I described that she is egg bound? I’m not sure I am right about that because I know so little