Hen Possibly Dying

[Judy]

Quote:
She probably would do best with the flock if they are not attacking her; chickens are such flock-minded creatures. I really wouldn't worry about her being cold unless she is shivering or something; they come with a pretty good down coat. If you put her outside after the bath, be sure she is thoroughly dry. You can use a hair dryer on low on her but it will take a while. I'd probably blow dry then keep her inside another hour or so to be sure she's finished air drying everywhere. It's really up to you; you will probably have a sense of whether she wants to stay in or go back out by then. If she feels really badly she might prefer an old towel in a laundry basket or the like.

 

[dawg53]

Since she hasnt laid an egg in a long time, I would suspect that she is currently eggbound. Place her in a container of warm water up to her sides. Gently massage her underside for about 20 minutes. Remove her from the water and dry her off as best as you can. Then wear a plastic disposable glove and put olive oil on your finger and insert your finger into her vent. Gently feel for any obstructions inside her vent and then remove your finger. Put some olive oil around her vent area. Soaking her in warm water expands her innards, massaging her underside helps move the egg along. Finger insertion stretches the vent...especially if it's a huge egg, and the olive oil makes it easier to lay. Good luck.

 

[tenderkat]

Just went out to check on her before work, and took a bowl of warm oatmeal. They all scarfed itup, including Lily. She waddled around a bit after me - she definitely walks like a penguin, tail hung low, feet wide apart.

Can a hen be eggbound for a couple of weeks?! Wouldn't she have died by now if that's what it is?

 

[dawg53]

Lily's are most likely the soft egg shells you're seeing on the poop board, that's why she's not dead. I believe she is currently eggbound again. This is why I recommended the soak etc...

 

[tenderkat]

This will be my last post until later, AFTER I bathe her. Just looked out the window again, and she's sitting hunched low with her tail bobbing up and down. Not sure if this is because whe is struggling to breathe, or if she is 'pulsating' from being eggbound. Anyways, I hope she'll be okay until I get home.

Thanks again SO MUCH for all your advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tenderkat]

So, I bathed her. She really didn't seem to like it very much, and struggled some. I did it in our tub, so I think it was just a bit slippery. I tried to hold her as stable as I could, but she probably felt nervous anyways. A few times she did seem to relax, and settled down onto my palm. I tried to massage her abdomen as best I could. I think I had the temp right, but maybe I could have had the water a little deeper. She stayed in for about 12 minutes, I was really worried about pushing her too hard as she seems so distressed.

I brought her out and wrapped her in a towel, and she just sat there in my lap looking around. I felt around inside her vent, perhaps about an inch deep, but I didn't feel anything hard. She was really hot though, could she be running a fever? As I was probing around inside, she was pulsating and pushed out some green diarhea. Is the green diarhea indicative of any specific disorder or illness? I'm not really sure what I was feeling in her abdomen as I massaged her, but there weren't any hard masses that I could tell. It just felt firm and bloated, like a really full water balloon. If the bath will help her pass something, how soon might that happen?

After I finished having my way with her, I gently blew a hair dryer on low on her. I wasn't able to get her completely dry though, so I think I'd like to keep her inside for the night. I have her inside a cat carrier up on top of our armoire. There really isn't any room for her to move around, but maybe this is better to keep her still? There definitely isn't any room to put a water or food dish inside with her. I tried to offer her some water, but she won't drink any yet. She did pick at a bit of food, however. I don't want her to dehydrate, is there something moist I can bribe her with so she gets ome fluids?

If she makes it to tomorrow, and hasn't pushed anything out, I might attempt to drain her. If there IS fluid inside her, will this relieve some of the pressure on her lungs? Might she start breathing a bit easier, or is it too late once the breathing has become labored? I just don't want to put her through something that would be futile.

She's just sitting in her little crate staring out at us right now. If you have any answers to any of my questions and concerns above, please share them with me. And I'm sorry for any redundancies in my post. She's just so sweet, and I don;t want her to suffer any more than she already is. Thank you!!

 

[dawg53]

I'm surprised she didnt attempt to lay an egg in the water. Somehow, you've got to provide her with food and more importantly, water. Try feeding her scrambled egg mixed with buttermilk. Scrambled egg for extra protein and buttermilk as a probiotic. If you're going to drain her...I've never done it and cant help you. ddawn provided some links earlier that you might want to read regarding fluid draining. Good luck.

 

[tenderkat]

Lily is still hanging on. Yesterday I gave her a vitamin E capsule, 3 drops of Polyvisol, and half a Tums. No idea if this will help, but apparently I had read this somewhere because I found it written down in my notes. I don't suppose it can do any harm, and I'll continue until something changes. I just went ahead and gave her the Albendazole, it has been 10 days since I treated her with Wazine. I couldn't get her mouth open to put it down her throat, so I put it on a tiny piece of bread which she scarfed right up. I hope that's okay.

If it ever stops raining and warms up a bit, I might consider putting her back out with her sisters. If they don't pick on her, she might be happier with her friends. Off to work again, I'll see how she is when I get home later.