Hen is completely not herself....

[Minchi]

If she is egg bound and you can not get the egg out with warm water, you will want to go to a vet. Trying to crush the egg on your own can go very wrong if done by unskilled hands. The point of the treats is to get her to eat, if she does not eat them then I would worry a bit more. Do what you can but if she gets raspy start the antibiotics ASAP.

 

[LadyFish19]

Well.... we went to the vet. Had an xray done. Something from her gizzard passed that wasn't supposed to and is now blocking her system. If we can't get it to pass, we'll lose her. She is finally drinking, with some encouragment, vinegar water. But is still not eating. She is getting weaker. Sleeping a lot. I don't know what to do. If I can get her to eat we will have to put her to sleep. ...

 

[Eggcessive]

Did the vet recommend trying to give her a flush to push the blockage through her system? Epsom salts or molasses flushes are sometimes used for the laxative purpose of pushing things through. I would check with the vet to see if it is safe, before doing this. You may want to check into crop feeding her to make sure she is getting enough to eat and drink. a piece of aquarium tubing and a 60 cc syringe can work as a tube feeding device. Here is a link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[LadyFish19]

Well as of now the vet has not offered me anything but will do more research. She is still learning about them but not a whole lot of choice around here. She is eating some grass that I pulled. And still drinking. Right now she is standing in front of the pellet stove getting warm. And thank you for the link about the tube feeding! I will definitely check that out.

 

[casportpony]

Open the chicken's mouth and inspect for any flem or bad odor. If there's no presence of flem or bad odor, and the vent is clean and not smelly, she doesn't have any disease. Do you have any roosters that may have mounted her and injured her?

It's always a good idea to do a thorough exam like you suggest, but just because the vent is clean and there is no phlegm or odor does *not* mean a bird is healthy.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Well.... we went to the vet. Had an xray done. Something from her gizzard passed that wasn't supposed to and is now blocking her system. If we can't get it to pass, we'll lose her. She is finally drinking, with some encouragment, vinegar water. But is still not eating. She is getting weaker. Sleeping a lot. I don't know what to do. If I can get her to eat we will have to put her to sleep. ...

Did your vet offer any suggestions on things you could give her to help motility?

-Kathy

 

[Sunflower3628ac]

I have a similar situation with one of my hens. She is a bantam. Heavy breathing, lethargic, crop empty. I caught her yesterday and examined her. She is going down fast and I don't know what to do for her. Her eyes and sinus are clear with no raspy breathing. Vent has no swelling or poop stuck in area. Could she be egg bound? I have read all suggestions. I will try to give her a warm bath tonight and see if that doesn't help if she has an egg stuck. She was laying every couple of days since the time has changed and her feathers are growing back in from a partial molt. UGH!

 

[casportpony]

Get a glove, some KY Jelly and gently check her vent for an egg. If you find an egg give her 1/2 a human calcium pill if she's a small banty, or a whole one if she's a large banty.

-Kathy

 

[Sunflower3628ac]

Get a glove, some KY Jelly and gently check her vent for an egg. If you find an egg give her 1/2 a human calcium pill if she's a small banty, or a whole one if she's a large banty.

-Kathy

I will try this also and thank you so very much. I don't like when my birds get sick since I treat them like my pets which get lots of love from my hubby and me.

 

[Sunflower3628ac]

Believe it or not, my hen layed her egg and is eating again. I tried the calcium using tums. I brought her in the house because our temps are going to drop and I would like her to rest and stay warm. Will the eggbound issue no be something she will get all the time? I give them oyster shell in a separate dispenser so I don't know why she became eggbound. Any ideas?