How to Help an Egg Bound Hen?

[AmyJane725]

Hey guys,

Don't actually have an egg bound girl atm, but I'm trying to get my strategy down for if I ever do, so what is the best way to help? So far these are my steps:

1. Give 400 mg Calcium
2. Give warm epsom salt soak for 15 - 20 minutes, and gently massage the undercarriage
3. Dry with towels and a hair dryer
4. Lubricate vent with coconut oil
5. Place on heating pad w/moist heat inside of hospital crate (so she can get away from heat if she wants)

I'm wondering if I have the length of the bath right. Is 15 - 20 too long or too short? Also, what's the ratio of epsom salt to water I should use?


Thanks.

 

[Kathy Golla]

You wouldn’t dry with just towels unless it was 85 degrees in your house. You’d need to at least to partially dry with a hair dryer.
One of those steps would also be
Keep in warm dark quiet place.
if you can feel an egg do not try to get it out yourself. Seek veterinary help.
Tube feeding is for emergencies where you feel the hen hasn’t drank anything for a few days. Or hasn’t eaten anything for many days and is at risk of dying of primarily that.
You would do that as a last resort or as a supportive measure if you knew what was wrong with the hen. Its pretty invasive.

 

[AmyJane725]

You wouldn’t dry with just towels unless it was 85 degrees in your house. You’d need to at least to partially dry with a hair dryer.
One of those steps would also be
Keep in warm dark quiet place.
if you can feel an egg do not try to get it out yourself. Seek veterinary help.
Tube feeding is for emergencies where you feel the hen hasn’t drank anything for a few days. Or hasn’t eaten anything for many days and is at risk of dying of primarily that.
You would do that as a last resort or as a supportive measure if you knew what was wrong with the hen. Its pretty invasive.

Ok. Hairdryer noted.

The warm dark quiet place is the hospital crate in step 4.

I'm not against getting vet help, but I feel like this is a very treatable thing that people deal with at home all the time. Vet is only in 2.5 days a week, and I doubt he'll be able to see her as an emergency. With my luck this'll happen on Wednesday evening when he won't be back for 5 days. She'd be dead by then. Need to know how to take care of this myself.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Give calcium as in Tums or the like?

 

[Kathy Golla]

Ok. Hairdryer noted.

The warm dark quiet place is the hospital crate in step 4.

I'm not against getting vet help, but I feel like this is a very treatable thing that people deal with at home all the time. Vet is only in 2.5 days a week, and I doubt he'll be able to see her as an emergency. With my luck this'll happen on Wednesday evening when he won't be back for 5 days. She'd be dead by then. Need to know how to take care of this myself.

I feel like you might be minimizing the situation. I would personally disagree, the egg bound hen should lay the egg herself. You shouldn’t aggressively intervene. That should be left to a professional. The outcome of breaking an egg inside the oviduct can have fatal results.

 

[getaclue]

Sounds like a fairly good strategy, except I'd give the calcium before the soak, and I would not tube any fluid right away.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Hey guys,

Don't actually have an egg bound girl atm, but I'm trying to get my strategy down for if I ever do, so what is the best way to help? So far these are my steps:

1. Give warm epsom salt soak for 15 - 20 minutes, and gently massage the undercarriage
2. Dry with towels and a hair dryer
3. Lubricate vent with coconut oil
4. Place on heating pad w/moist heat inside of hospital crate (so she can get away from heat if she wants)
6. Give 400 mg Calcium
7. Make sure she is drinking water. Tube 10 mL if not.

I'm wondering if I have the length of the bath right. Is 15 - 20 too long or too short? Also, what's the ratio of epsom salt to water I should use?

Also, should giving the calcium happen before you even put her in the bath?

Is 10 mL water good, or too much/not enough?

Thanks.

I always give me the 1000 mg calcium carbonate ultra strength. I break it up into eight pieces and the only way my hens will eat it is if I open their beak and put it in. The calcium brings on the contractions stronger and the warm bath relaxes the muscles. Magnesium also causes relaxation of the muscles.

 

[AmyJane725]

Give calcium as in Tums or the like?

Caltrate + D3

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I feel like you might be minimizing the situation. I would personally disagree, the egg bound hen should lay the egg herself. You shouldn’t aggressively intervene. That should be left to a professional. The outcome of breaking an egg inside the oviduct can have fatal results.

@Kathy Golla I hear what you are saying but am wondering. . If you can't get an egg-bound chicken to a vet and the bath and calcium don't help ... will she die anyway?

I don't know if I've ever had this situation or not. I've just assumed any bird I had that died did so "of natural causes." I don't know if my vet treats chickens. But since joining BYC I've learned a LOT. So now I'm wondering ... ? Will she die anyway?

 

[AmyJane725]

I feel like you might be minimizing the situation. I would personally disagree, the egg bound hen should lay the egg herself. You shouldn’t aggressively intervene. That should be left to a professional. The outcome of breaking an egg inside the oviduct can have fatal results.

I'd like to point out that never did I say anything about reaching inside and pulling the egg out myself, or anything else invasive.

If she's calcium deficient I'm providing the missing nutrient, and soaking her to loosen things up/help her along. She will be laying the egg herself. None of that is going to break the egg inside of her, and more than likely professional help won't be available in time to save her.