*I think it's more serious than eggbound? Please help!*

[MimiChick]

My BR, Blueberry, seemed to be having a little trouble with her balance this morning, a slight limp, tail down and twitchy. She was eating and drinking fine and I followed her around until she pooped; that was fine too. Sometimes she would walk and run around like normal. Then she'd kind of lose her balance a little and sit down for a while. During the "normal" times her tail was up as usual. Then, when she'd sit it seemed like she was back heavy and her tail would go down; like she was uncomfortable and pushing it down. When she went in the roost box with the other 2 girls she stayed sitting in the bedding. She was eyeing the perch, like she wanted to go up there, but wasn't too sure about it. I lifted her on to the perch and she couldn't seem to balance. Again, it was like she was back/bottom heavy. I lifted her back down before she fell off the perch backwards.
I did manage to get her on to a chair so I could check her over. No apparent injuries, her abdomen does not seem to be swollen and I can't feel anything that might be a stuck egg, but when I checked her vent it seemed to be pulsing a little. She's about 22 weeks old and has not laid any eggs yet, so I'm wondering if this could be signaling a first pullet egg - or if I need to start looking for another problem. She was sleeping in the nest box tonight when I went out to shut them in for the night.
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[canada-goose]

It sounds like egg binding to me.
Good luck!

 

[MimiChick]

ARGHHHHH! Stupid dial-up!!!!!!!!!!!! Every time I get on, I get bumped off.

Anyway, this morning Blueberry was pretty much the same as yesterday. So, I took her into the breezeway and put her on a warm heating pad. She’s bright eyed and curious and I gave her a warm mash of feed, cottage cheese, oats, a little olive oil, a drop of honey and ACV. She ate fine and then drank some water with ACV.
I checked her vent and it was pulsing pretty good, so I put a little olive oil on a gloved finger and probed a bit. She was struggling a little, so I didn’t try to go in much, just enough to get a little olive oil around the opening.
She’s been sitting on the heating pad for a little over an hour, had a normal poop and has been lifting her bum a few times. When she did the poop, she lifted her bum and kind of danced a little. So, I’m thinking this may be her first egg. I can’t feel anything, but if it’s her first, it may be too small to feel.
Please someone, tell me if I’m doing right, and she’ll be okay. Thanks.

 

[MimiChick]

There's no change - she's still sitting on the heating pad and lifting her bum. I've tried probing in her vent, but I don't really know what to do. Any instructions? Thanks.
Her wattles are getting dark red. Is this a sign of anything?

 

[LynneP]

I'm hoping the heating pad will work in time...

If not, you may need to give her a prolonged belly bath in warm water. This is a long time for a pullet to strain over a first egg.
If you decide to try this, she will probably be cooperative and relieved when the mass comes out. But you must be in a position to get her dry and warm after, so have lots of warm rags/towels and maybe a hair dryer.

Poor little pullets, sometimes they make an egg that largish and don't know how to deal with it. The pulsing is a sign that she is in difficulty and this needs to be resolved.

Some discussions-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...f=FORID:10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=eggbound&sa=Search

A bath like that can take an hour or more.

 

[MimiChick]

Thanks. How long should I wait. She doesn't really seem to be in distress. Just can't walk well. Sometimes she'll close her eyes and pant a little, but I'm not seeing any real straining. And I still can't feel anything when I massage her abdomen. Is the warm bath to get her to relax more so she can push it out? Thanks.

 

[LynneP]

Well I was hoping the heating pad would warm her abdomen enough to dilate the egg chute. The warm water adds an extra level because some will go inside and get her ab muscles nice and loose. I'm glad you have been massaging her abdomen, be sure to stroke gently towards the vent. What you may have is an egg without a shell and her muscles can't quite grip it. Would be helpful to have it out one way or the other...

(She is going to adore you for your help, you know)

 

[MimiChick]

OK. I tried the warm bath. Her muscles did relax enough so I could get my finger inside. I couldn't feel anything. It seemed completely empty in there. I also still can't feel anything when I massage her abdomen. So, I've got her in a cage on the heating pad again (so she won't get a chill from being damp) in the breezeway. I don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas. I'm really starting to get worried. Thanks.