Help! What is wrong? Egg bound?

[ahwhite]

Just got home from work and something I'd definitely up with my 1.5 yr old hen. She is standing in one spot, in a slight squatting position, clearly lethargic, with her mouth gaping. Her abdomen feels hard and wide. I dtuck my index finger fully up her duct and didn't feel anything. She didn't struggle, bad sign! She won't really drink water. What should I do? Thanks!

 

[ahwhite]

Sorry for typos, using my phone.

 

[Kiki]

Have you read this yet: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-binding-symptoms-treatment-and-prevention.66978/
You could try to soak her in epsom salt.
Keep trying to offer her water...hold a spoon full up to her beak.

 

[ahwhite]

Vent

 

[ahwhite]

Have you read this yet: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-binding-symptoms-treatment-and-prevention.66978/
You could try to soak her in epsom salt.
Keep trying to offer her water...hold a spoon full up to her beak.

Thank you for answering! I did put her in a bath. She was distressed by it, so I'm not sure it helped her relax. She did poop just watery yellow afterwards. I don't know exactly what I'm feeling for (besides an egg, obviously). Inside the vent...does it split up and down? It seems like I can only go downish. I'll try again. Does it hurt her to feel inside there? I don't want to force anything cause damage. I'm using Vaseline as suggested.

 

[Kiki]

I'd probably not feel for an egg again if you already felt for one.
Is a vet an option?
She may be laying internally or egg yolk peritonitis.

 

[ahwhite]

I'd probably not feel for an egg again if you already felt for one.
Is a vet an option?
She may be laying internally or egg yolk peritonitis.

I can try a vet but i know the one in town does not deal with chickens really. Do you think it can wait until tomorrow? Maybe the next town over has someone but I'm not sure that they do emergency hours and it's 830 here.

 

[dfalco]

Watching this thread and hoping for the best.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Are her eggs normally hard or has she been laying soft-shell/shell-less eggs?

I'm wondering if she is trying to expel a soft shell egg or she may still have some yolk/whites that she is trying to get out. I have a girl that does this occasionally.

Provide her with some poultry vitamins and extra calcium - Poultry Nutri-Drench if you have it (1cc per 3lbs). Crush a TUMS and sprinkle it over a scrambled egg. See if she will eat the egg with calcium and drip some of the vitamins on the egg. Do your best to get her hydrated.

Sometimes a soak may help, but if it stresses her, then leave it off for a while.

To answer your question - ""Inside the vent...does it split up and down? It seems like I can only go downish"" Yes, it does somewhat make a split - up would be the oviduct and down is the intestines.

https://hencam.com/henblog/2015/08/a-laying-glitch/

 

[biophiliac]

I can try a vet but i know the one in town does not deal with chickens really. Do you think it can wait until tomorrow? Maybe the next town over has someone but I'm not sure that they do emergency hours and it's 830 here.

Sounds like this came on suddenly, it figures - always outside of normal vet office hours or on a holiday. :/ I no expert but fwiw if it were my bird I'd be thinking that if she doesnt make it to tomorrow morning, it's unlikely the vet could have saved her so the extra expense of an out of hours emergency visit is pretty hard to justify no matter how much we love them. [glad to see Wyorp came to give you some good advice.]