Hen defecated watery substance, acting a little sluggish.

[HenalayLady]

I noticed my free-range Ameraucana was all by herself, standing almost still, uninterested in me or the huge zucchini I brought. Usually she and others run quickly to me. As I picked her up, she "peed" all over my side and on the ground, maybe 4-5 oz. She felt quite heavy when I lifted her. I set her down in front of the halved zucchini and she began pecking on it. I cannot be sure she laid eggs recently--I've been away. It's a very warm day (87); should I be worried about her? Thanks for any helpful replies. Henalay Lady in Carmel Valley, CA

 

[HenalayLady]

It's me again. My hen sat on the nest for 3 hours today and NO EGG! I'm guessing that this must be a bound egg situation. She is now asleep on the very lowest roost, level with the nest boxes. If she were OK, she'd be up on the top roost with the rest of the ladies. Looks bad to me, and so far, no replies to the post.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Wish I knew what to tell you. How old is this hen? You mentioned she feels heavy, if you pick her up and feel her belly, like the whole area below the breast bone, between the legs etc., does she feel like she's full of fluid maybe? It could be she's egg bound or it could be she's got something else going on that has caused fluid build up if you find she does indeed feel bloated.

If she feels to you like she's full of fluid then she has one issue or another that's caused it, none of them good or curable unfortunately. If you think she might just be egg bound you could try soaking her bottom in warm water, see if it helps.

Coccidiosis might also be a possibility. If you think there's any possibility of that at all you will want to treat all of them asap.

 

[HenalayLady]

Hi Farm Girl...thanks for the reply. It's all over. I brought her in to do the inspection and to bathe her bottom. She was a drippy mess and very weak. Didn't try to stand or struggle. Her breathing was a little noisy too. Her rear seemed puffy and swollen. With a glove on I checked inside her vent. No egg. I bathed her bottom anyway to clean her up a little. Suddenly she struggled and flapped. I set her on a towel to dry her. She seemed to have a painful spasm or seizure, bit the towel under her hard for a few seconds, then went limp. That was it. I guess I'll never know what happened to her. I hope it isn't a contagious situation. I don't know of an avian vet around here. She was a great, friendly little hen, quite good looking too. I'll miss her. Henalay Lady

 

[Tammy N]

I hate to tell you this But checking inside your hen from her vent is Very Dangerous Please be careful.

 

[HenalayLady]

Tammy, Are you saying that I killed her by checking inside the vent? I was under the impression that was the way to discover a bound egg.

 

[Tammy N]

No i am not saying you killed her but it is Very Dangerous.
I was a vet tech and one of the things the vet i worked with told me was NEVER penitratea foul that way.

Im sorry i did not mean to make you feel that you killed her its just very dangerous

the Tissue inside is Very delicate and can rupture easily with out you even noticing.

 

[dawg53]

I've felt inside vents many times using disposable glove and olive oil without any issues with the hens afterwards. Most likely your hen was egg impacted, not much you couldve done. I'm sorry you lost her.

 

[Tammy N]

Dawg I really was not saying she killed her hen Im sure she did not i just know its dangerous and scary . Ive delivered everything from c section on rabbit to pulling a foal.
chickens , ducks Geese are hard to work with . for the reason given above and i really hope i did not make anyone feel bad .

It is not and was not my intention.Tammy

 

[dawg53]

Dawg I really was not saying she killed her hen Im sure she did not i just know its dangerous and scary . Ive delivered everything from c section on rabbit to pulling a foal.
chickens , ducks Geese are hard to work with . for the reason given above and i really hope i did not make anyone feel bad .

It is not and was not my intention.Tammy

Yeah, I know...not a problem.