Hen holding bottom down?

[atzchicks]

I have a hen that's holding her bottom down like she's pooping. She has done this for about 3 days now. I don't see any injuries. She's not wanting to walk but a few steps, she's eating and drinking fine. I've just started raising chickens and don't know too much yet. Could she be constapated? I went to check on her last night and she was still sitting on the floor of the coop. I went to check this morning and she was out but there was an egg on the floor so I'm thinking she didn't get on the roosting boards. Can someone give me an idea, please.

 

[danamillette]

How old is she? She could be "squatting" and getting ready to lay eggs, if she is a pulllet.....

 

[onthespot]

mine did that a few days before they showed fowl pox on their combs... hope that's all it is... Do a search for fowl pox. There have been a lot of discussions on it in the past month. Good luck! The fact that she laid an egg is a very good sign. At least she is not eggbound. Keep us updated. and...

 

[atzchicks]

I looked up the fowl pox and went to look over her again and saw nothing except when I went to pick her up she made a painful sound and I noticed she has regular looking poo on her bottom feathers and her stomach is hard and alot larger than usual. Does chickens get constapated and if so what do you give them? Thank you all for the quick repley.

 

[onthespot]

uh oh, that does not sound like fowl pox. mine felt "light" and had a poor appetite for the few days before, and at the start of fowl pox. The lost some weight, but their breast bone did not get "sharp" feeling. Almost all of them had smelly poop, watery, sometimes greenish splashy with white parts too. I have never had an eggbound hen but your description made me think that might be it. Do a search for eggbound on here, or internal laying. Wish I had better news to give you.

 

[KrisRose]

Your hen is eggbound. If her abdomen is swollen and she has the upward stance then she may have become an internal layer. I encourge mine to walk as soon as I notice the problem, sometimes it helps. Others soak their hens bottems in very warm water , I've never done this.
If she is an internal layer then only a visit to the vet and a hysterectomy will help.
Good luck.

 

[swtangel321]

If she was/is egg bound I dont think she would of layed an egg today, same if she was an internal layer. I could be wrong.

Now if she didnt lay today or for a few days that would be a different story.

Sorry I cant be of more help, hope she gets better !!

 

[patandchickens]

First, how sure are you that the egg on the floor was *hers*.

Second, a chicken can be eggbound and/or an internal layer and still have an egg enough down "in the chute" that it could come out. My Matilda, RIP as of a year ago, had one *almost* low enough for her to lay (although she never did, the vet broke it internally and apparently she passed it, although that did not solve her larger problem of internal laying/salpingitis/peritonitis) and if the dice had rolled the other way for her I am certain hers would have been laid.

The enlarged abdomen and that posture makes me think internal laying/salpingitis/peritonitis type thing, unfortunately... but then I could certainly be wrong so I wouldn't write her off just yet. Do what you can to keep her warm and comfortable and not picked on by the other chickens, ideally put her somewhere with restricted daylight hours (to try to shut down further laying) and see what she can do for herself. I will cross my fingers for her,

good luck,

Pat