Is it possible for a hen to be egg bound if they have laid an egg?

[Charlotte D]

I know this may seem like a silly question! My hen (roughly 4 years old) became (noticeably) I'll on Saturday evening. She was spending lots of time in the nest box, fluid dripping from her vent, visibly uncomfortable. I gave her an Epsom.salt bath and some water with nettex nutri drops in and she went to.bed. I think I she stood up all night as when I went in at 6am she was in exactly the same position. I gave her more water and when I checked on her at 9am she had laid a soft shelled egg and seemed much better.
She is still not right though. She had a dirty bottom this.morning, looked a bit like scrambled egg.
She last laid an egg Wednesday or Thursday. We ran out of her normal food on Thursday and I bought some other stuff for her so dont know if this is connected. I got some normal food today (Smallholder free range layers pellets) but she's not interested. She has had some strawberries with a half crushed up calcium tab ( about 400 mg). She is still drinking, I think almost too much.
She is spending a lot of time standing on one leg, and although moving around and chatting, she still looks uncomfortable.
Could there be another egg stuck?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She may be having trouble with another egg. I would get some extra calcium into her. You can give her Caltrate with D3, 1 tablet a day for 3-5 days.

The drinking a lot of water, I would check to see that her crop is emptying overnight.

 

[Charlotte D]

She may be having trouble with another egg. I would get some extra calcium into her. You can give her Caltrate with D3, 1 tablet a day for 3-5 days.

The drinking a lot of water, I would check to see that her crop is emptying overnight.

Thanks for your reply, it's much appreciated. I have calcium with vitamin d tabs (800mg) so will continue with those and will check her crop first thing. Fingers crossed! She's a real character, a beautiful bird.

 

[Charlotte D]

I checked her crop this morning and it didn't feel flat. Like a small ping pong ball in there. Hard. She's had some of her normal food this morning and seems in good spirits.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I checked her crop this morning and it didn't feel flat. Like a small ping pong ball in there. Hard. She's had some of her normal food this morning and seems in good spirits.

If the crop still had something in there this morning, I would start with giving her coconut oil to see if that helps break up what's in there.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Charlotte D]

Thank you, yes I took a look at that article this morning, I've used it before with crop issues and it's really helpful.

It's odd, last time I checked it, she had had some food and it felt squishy, more like sourcrop, but this morning was hard like an impaction. I don't know. I'm going to grab her now and give her a check. 75%of the time she's wandering around and looks pretty good, but then she'll just sit right down and close her eyes.
She is a bit of an old girl these days.

 

[Charlotte D]

Hi @Wyorp Rock . I hope you don't mind me keep coming back to you, but I'm pretty stuck.
My girl is looking down today, hasn't touched her food, ate quite a lot yesterday and was pooping as normal, but like I said occasionally would just look really tired and sad and I also saw at one point she put her head down and liquid came out.
I felt her pre-breakfast crop today and it didn't feel too bad, I thought perhaps there might have been something small in there, but I honestly don't know. It certainly wasn't squishy. I gave her some coconut oil anyway just in case there was a little hardness, but as she's pooping I'm guessing there's no real impaction to worry about.
I feel.like I'm lost in the dark with her.

I've treated her successfully for sourcrop in the past, and, although the liquid coming up would be suggestive of that, her crop feels pretty ok. Her comb is still.upright and red and plump.

She certainly seems to be off lay now, since the soft shell the other day and her "pushing". When I go to pick her up she doesn't crouch down the way she would if she was in lay.

She is very lacklustre and normally she is so lively and enthusiastic.

Can you suggest anything else I could look out for please?
Thank you so much.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would continue to treat symptoms of crop issues, but often there is something else that's going on. Reproductive disorders can be common or she may be having trouble expelling another soft shelled egg.
I would also get some extra calcium for 3-4 days to see if that helps. You can give Caltrate with D3.

 

[Charlotte D]

Just a little update. Sadly our hen Nicole died a week gone Friday. After being up and down for a week, she was so poorly on friday, wouldn't eat at all, just kept sitting with her eyes closed and hiding her face in her wing. Her crop seemed fine but i suspect something had gone wrong inside. She had barely eaten for a week and appeared to be suffering which is the last thing we wanted.
She was the last of our four rescue hens, who we got just over three years ago. I'm proud of everything I've learned over the last three years and the lovely extended life they have enjoyed with us. I miss them a lot, especially Nicole as the last. She has been a special little bird, always up for a chat and a dig in the garden.
I'm not sure if we will get any more, it's not something I'm ready for just yet, but when I do I know exactly where to come for good advice. Thanks again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Just a little update. Sadly our hen Nicole died a week gone Friday. After being up and down for a week, she was so poorly on friday, wouldn't eat at all, just kept sitting with her eyes closed and hiding her face in her wing. Her crop seemed fine but i suspect something had gone wrong inside. She had barely eaten for a week and appeared to be suffering which is the last thing we wanted.
She was the last of our four rescue hens, who we got just over three years ago. I'm proud of everything I've learned over the last three years and the lovely extended life they have enjoyed with us. I miss them a lot, especially Nicole as the last. She has been a special little bird, always up for a chat and a dig in the garden.
I'm not sure if we will get any more, it's not something I'm ready for just yet, but when I do I know exactly where to come for good advice. Thanks again.

I'm sorry to hear about Nicole.

Thank you for the update, even though difficult. It's so nice that she was able to have 3 special years with you. You did all you could for her and she was loved.