Hen seems to be in great pain Eggbound?

[Attila the Hen]

My buff orpington hen was not out with the others when I got home. She is just over 2 years old and not sure if she is responsible for recent eggs.
Found her with both wings held out and touching the ground. Toes curled up. Eyes closed. wants to crawl into a corner.
Feels solid everywhere and underneath except I feel the keel bone is prominent? The bone under her body is very obvious.
I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

[rollkeeg877]

if she is egg bound you might wanna try to brake the egg if you can see it other then that see if you can get the egg out of her

 

[Attila the Hen]

I really can't tell what is wrong. I have set up a lawn chair in the bathtub with hot water underneath in a pan and over the top of the chair is a heated blanket (microwave heated).A little sauna. I am just trying to keep her comfortable now. I would be very surprised if she makes it through the night and I don't want to traumatize her further.
I felt earlier for an egg shape and didn't feel it so just don't know. I'll see what happens overnight.
thanks all the same. I appreciate your input and time.

 

[willowbranchfarm]

If she is egg bound give her a warm bath and massage her abdomen. Then try and squeeze the egg out. You don't wan to break they egg unless you have too.

 

[luvnjavas]

Please let us know how she does...

 

[Attila the Hen]

I found her dead around midnight. It is very curious. My rooster died in October suddenly. Feeling her keel bone makes me think she was undernourished but she looked big and was heavy. It was almost like she flattened out as she was dying. The remaining 7 hens seem fine. I am going to cut back on snacks and hope for the best. Don't know what else to do.
I remind myself that my chickens live a life of luxury --especially compared to most. They free range, have lots of room, get lots of snacks and attention and generally rule the roost. Life may have been short but it was a good one.

 

[willowbranchfarm]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[PAchickenlover]

Sorry for your loss..

 

[casportpony]

I found her dead around midnight. It is very curious. My rooster died in October suddenly. Feeling her keel bone makes me think she was undernourished but she looked big and was heavy. It was almost like she flattened out as she was dying. The remaining 7 hens seem fine. I am going to cut back on snacks and hope for the best. Don't know what else to do.
I remind myself that my chickens live a life of luxury --especially compared to most. They free range, have lots of room, get lots of snacks and attention and generally rule the roost. Life may have been short but it was a good one.

Sorry for your losses. You should send her out for a necropsy. Here are a couple of links that might help you find more info on how to proceed:
http://www.avian.uga.edu/
http://www.gapoultrylab.org/
http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx

California does in state chickens, turkeys and waterfowl for free, Maryland does out of state chickens for a small fee, so I'm sure you can find something.

 

[casportpony]

If you still have her body and you want to send her off for a necropsy, put her in the refrigerator, not the freezer. Since it's Saturday, you should wait until Monday to overnight her. UC Davis lets residents use their FedEx account number, so if you decide to send her, ask them, it will save you a bunch of money.

You'll need to find a box, line it with styrofoam (I use the 4'x8'x1" stuff from Home Depot, but you can use anything, I guess... you can also get smaller pieces at an art store like Michael's, but is way more expensive). Click here to see foam options. You'll also need at least one ice pack. Here are some pictures that I took of the last bird that I sent:

Box lined with foam on four sides and bottom. Seams of foam taped sealed.


Box, sides, bottom and and top.


Frozen ice pack in ziplock baggie.


Brown paper on top of ice pack.


Hen in ziplock baggie on top of brown paper.


Brown paper on top of hen.


Ice pack on top of brown paper.


Lid on top of brown paper.