Hen can barely walk - bum scraping ground

[ooper]

She is still alive. Eating layer feed from IFA mixed with oyster shell. She is still pooping several times a day as well, but does not seem to be getting too much better. She did improve the first day I brought her in and bathed her and gave her close access to food and water but she seems to have reached a plateau. She still cannot walk well and uses her wings to balance herself. I'm afraid I may have to put her down

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry. If she is still pooping well, I don’t think she is egg bound. However, if you’ve seen occasional soft eggs recently, she could have a laying disorder. There were a couple soft eggs before my hen got egg yolk peritonitis, but I did not know whose they were.
Sorry if I missed it, but did you ever andwer the question about whether her belly feels swollen? This is the “fluffy butt” area (below her vent & between her legs). If you can’t tell, compare her to another one of your girls.

 

[staceyj]

Thank you for giving us an update. I'm terribly sorry that your girl has not improved much.
It is a worry when they aren't well.
Has her leg/foot improved at all with the change in diet?

 

[ooper]

She didn't make it through the night last night Thank you all for your suggestions and concern.

 

[staceyj]

Oh my. I'm sorry.
Sincerest sympathy to you.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so very sorry.

 

[TexasSam]

Oh my. I'm sorry.
Sincerest sympathy to you.

X2

 

[kirrasteidel7]

The penguin look is NOT GOOD.
At 48 hrs in, if your bird is egg bound, this would definitely be deemed an emergency that is a threat to her life.
Things you should be doing:
Gather supplies.
Chair
Towels
Epsom salt
Lubricant
Tums or Rolaid's broken into small bits
Flashlight
Reading glasses if you need them
Hairdryer
Dog crate or laundry basket.

First things first. Bring her inside into the light.
See if she'll eat some bits of tums. Really try to get her to eat some. It'll help her expel the egg.

Sit down and gently lay her across your lap.
Take a look at her vent. Use the flashlight if needed.
What do you see? Can you see an egg?

Is the tissue down there swollen and red?
Apply some olive oil or other lubricant to your fingertips and GENTLY insert a finger into her vent a little bit.
GENTLY. DONT POKE.
if the egg is near you'll feel it without rooting around in there.
do you feel an egg ? Or bits of broken shell?

Next step is to fill the sink with nice warm water and add a handful or two of epsom salt to the water. Soak her in this quite warm water for about a half hour.
Yes she'll fuss for a minute when you first put her in but then she'll enjoy it.
Sometimes this relaxes a bird enough to allow the egg to come out.

After the soak, towel her dry as best you can, but reapply some lubricant into and around her vent again. Sit her on a dry towel or in a laundry basket on a towel (for grip) then use a blow dryer to dry her thoroughly, which takes a while, so get a chair. Or you can put her in a crate and sit a space heater near her.
She'll get a little sleepy from all this plus the warmth.
Letting her rest for a little while might give her the time she needs to work the egg out.

I'm really hoping someone with a more dynamic approach might come along soon with another idea. In the meantime I'd definitely get her soaking because it is a tried and true method, often with good results.

What if you don’t feel an egg ?