My hen is lethargic

[Chicky_lover14]

When i went to go feed my hens, one of them wasnt moving very much. Shes a 3 year old hen and is quite lethargic and quiet. We've isolated her and have given her food, water and some calcium. We think she might have an egg stuck.
I live in canada so its very cold and we've built a small coop in my garage for the winter.

I could use some input. Thanks!!

 

[azygous]

What type of calcium did you give her? How much? I use a whole people calcium tablet and give it right into the beak.

Have you felt for a hard lump under the vent? Have you inserted a gloved finger to see if an egg is jammed up against the cloaca? Is there a clear discharge from the vent? How about poop? Any yellow mucous?

For egg binding, I set up an infirmary crate with a heating pad on the medium setting. Then I wet a bath towel in warm water and wring it out in the washer spin cycle. I place that over the heating pad, and then the hen on top of the warm damp towel.

Provide access to water since hydration is crucial. Then leave the hen to rest in a quiet dim place. More often than not, this procedure produces the stuck egg.

 

[Eggcessive]

Watch to see if she is passing droppings. If she is, then probably not egg bound. Can you bring her into a warm spot for the night? Offer some water and scrambled egg in addition to her feed. Insert a finger into her vent 1-2 inches and feel for an egg. Soft or shell-less eggs can be hard to pass, and might make a hen feel weak or poorly.

Also look for lice and mites under her vent, and feel of her crop to see if there is food in it. If the crop is full and hard or puffy, check it in early morning to see if it has emptied overnight. Describe her droppings, and you can place an old towel or puppy pad under her for the night.

 

[aart]

Birds can get dehydrated and cold stressed in winter as well as summer so I've started soaking rolled oats in a Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins solution.
This avoids the 'wattle dippage' of an open waterer.
Gives them a boost and gets them hydrated.
1/8 teaspoon to 1 cup of warm water, mix until dissolved.
Add solution to 1 cup of rolled oats, stir well on occasion until all liquid is absorbed, might need to add more oats. Takes an hour or two, then give it to the birds.

Have done this every few days during extreme cold(<10°F), and I believe it's really helped them, they all stayed mobile. Gives me a good chance to assess mobility, any bird that doesn't go for the oats gets watched very carefully and may be brought to a warmer place for a couple hours to 'reset'.


@BantyChooks taught me about 'cold reset'. I bring bird into the slightly warmer garage for just a couple-few hours. Makes sure she eats, give her a dose of electrolytes, see what's coming out the other end, and just observe. Then take them back out to coop, has 'saved' a few here, it's pretty amazing how they bounce back.