Hen walks like a duck

[merryreader]

She's a four year old black australorp. She started acting different 2 days ago, hanging out by herself. Yesterday she acted like she was going to lay an egg in the outdoor pen, ruffling up her feathers and walking with her butt almost dragging along the ground. But she was lively and didn't seem to be in any pain, so I waited. Today she has white runny poop alternating with firm whitish poop, and is still looking under herself to see if she layed an egg and it looks like she is straining a bit. The feathers on her back keep moving(in waves) . She is still picking at food. Any idea what is going on? I probably should cull her, but I hate to. She's a really nice hen. Merry

 

[Fudgie]

I would suspect egg bound, you might want to search on here for some threads on what to do. Sorry I cannot help more

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

well she is 4 yrs old
possibilities are this
(1 she could be egg bound
you can tell by feeling of the vent area
taking a eye dropper, filled with oit of some kind
and inserting the fiulled eye dropper beside each side of the vent and putting the oil in each side of the vent
then take ans go farther back under the vent area and see if you can push the egg forward
after getting egg to back of vent where you can see it
then take a large needle and poke holes in the egg shell
then smush up on the egg area and get the yolk and white pushed out
now very easily take a large twizes and pull all of the egg shell out

Now put more oil in vent area

(2 she could have what is called a large tumor of yellow pack membrane
she has a cancerous growth in the back rea
there is no cure from it
she will have aq lot of water in this area
that is why she is walking like she does

I processed chickens and sold them and even 1 yr old laying hens would have these cancerous growths and I would have to discard them
after doing all the work getting feathers off

so if it isn't a stuck egg then there is nothing you can do but let her live till she passes, sorry about this

 

[merryreader]

Thanks. I'm suspecting egg bound and am going to try some olive oil in the vent and see what I can feel. Merry

 

[cyanne]

If she is eggbound, you might first try letting her soak in some warm water to see if you can relax her enough for the egg to come out. I think I've read something about giving them a crushed up tums to up their calcium levels as well. Do a search on here for "eggbound" and you should find a ton of advice for helping her.

 

[merryreader]

Thanks again for that link. After reading through it, I think she may be an internal layer as her abdomen is firm and distended. I lubed her and felt for an egg, but didn't feel on w/i finger's reach. I put her in a solitary nest box for the night. We'll see how she is tomorrow. She doesn't seem uncomfortable. Merry

 

[merryreader]

Just an update on my hen. She is still acting the same, poop is now normal and is eating and drinking good and doesn't seem in any pain. She will sometimes come out in the pen, but needs to prop her chest up against something. Maybe so she won't topple over or so she can breath. I don't know. I pick her up every night and put her in a nest box and in the morning put her down again. She comes running when she sees me now because I always give her a treat. Tonight I noticed what seemed to me an elongated crop distended under her chest full of layer pellets though. Could she have had a hernia of the crop develop? She does'nt act sick at all, just needs propping. Merry