How to comfort egg bound hen

[juniper-berry]

She had this before and my husband and I drained her and gave her medicine. She recovered (in June) Husband not around to help and its back. I dont have the capacity to drain her but I do want to comfort her. Everything about this seems pretty fatal. I dont want her to suffer but I havent put a chicken down before. Any help appreciated thank you!

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC. Is she egg bound or does she have fluid n her belly?

 

[juniper-berry]

Yes, Belly very swollen, getting hard

 

[casportpony]

Will your husband be available later to help you drain?

 

[juniper-berry]

no

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She had this before and my husband and I drained her and gave her medicine

Hi @juniper-berry I'm sorry that your hen is not well.

@casportpony has asked some good questions.
If your husband is not available to help you drain her, do you have another member of the family or a neighbor that can help you?

If no one can help, you can try swaddling her in a towel to hold her, then drain yourself. Not ideal (two people better than one), but enclosing her wings and covering her head will help keep her calm(er) - just don't wrap too tight.

The key is to not drain too fast or too much so they don't go into cardiac arrest - take out enough fluid to give her some relief, then let the rest drain by gravity the rest of the day.
Here's one video that shows one person draining their hen.