I'm going in. Please advise.

[ChitownChick]

Here she is recovering in the quarantine room, which is shared with the brooder. Don't worry, I'm keeping her separate from the babies! Although--I wonder if this hormone injection that prevents ovulation is the broody hormone? Because she is very sweetly concerned with the babies, responding to their peeps.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

You did a great job with what info you had, you should pat yourself on the back for me, as your hen is alive and appears to be happy. What a wonderful thing, a happy hen who will have a wonderful life. Congrats!!!!

 

[Ruralhideaway]

So happy to see her recuperating nicely. You being willing to do the extra things for her is really heartwarming!

 

[Kiki]

Thanks for everyone who helped here. Chuck is back home and resting. What happened was, a soft egg broke inside her. She passed most of it naturally, but small shards got stuck and adhered to her oviduct. The vet I found, Dr. Sakas, went in surgically to remove as much of the debris as possible but there is so much blood flow to the reproductive tract that he was unable to retrieve it all without risking her bleeding out. That being said, her vent is completely clear, and her infection is healing. Her digestive system is clear, so the risk to her life has passed.

We have given her a hormonal injection to prevent her from ovulating/laying, as there is possibly still debris adhered in her oviduct and she could easily become eggbound again. Essentially, her reproductive tract is compromised.

The injection may in effect permanently "spay" her, but it also may not. She may start ovulating again in a month, in which case she'd need the injection again, and then again, basically forever (until they invent "the pill" for hens!) So it's not the best case scenario, but she's alive and we have learned a lot from this experience.

@KikisGirls basically called this one 100%.

Lessons I am taking away:

1) always make sure your high-production birds are at a healthy weight and have a lot of calcium in their diet. Our ISA Browns are high production, and this situation made us realize they were underweight with a calcium deficiency, even eating the same feed that keeps the rest of our flock healthy. They are only one year old and already all the laying has taken its toll. Personally, I will never buy a high-production bird again. Only heritage breeds for me--not worth the heartache of watching these birds lay themselves to death!!

2) if a hen is eggbound, she must be treated immediately, but *very* gently. Stay calm, and project that calm energy to the bird. The first time we soaked her, we were nervous, and she fought us--I believe the egg broke inside her during the struggle. The second time I bathed her, I kept the lights low, put on soothing music (lol), kept my breathing and movements calm and slow, even made chicken sounds... She actually fell asleep and responded very well. If I had managed to be that smooth the first time, she may have laid the egg naturally and we wouldn't have had to go through all this.

3) I will always take my chicken to Niles Animal Hospital!! It is the best place to take Chicago chickens in my opinion.

I feel bad like I could've prevented this whole issue with better husbandry but I know I won't make these mistakes again. I hope my experience can help someone else in the future.

Thanks again everybody!

Thank you for the update.