My Very First Emergency: Egg Bound? Pictures Included

[Nifty-Chicken]

Wow chel, that's some excellent info. We'll definitely need to combine all the good suggestions on this and add it to the site.

I'm hoping my wife will provide us with an update since I'm not at home today.

 

[NiftyChick]

Sorry - I've been out w/the girls (human girls

) but checked her a couple times today. She seems to be acting normal, as do the chickens around her, but separation is probably a good idea. Her bum/abdomen area looks pretty full to me, though maybe it just seems more emphasized w/the loss of feathers. I'll probably try the bath tonight.....

I'll keep you posted.

Thank you for all the helpful advice!!

NC

 

[Wes in Tx]

I would be HIGHLY concerned if she had an egg break inside of her. Soft or hard shell the egg contents to can set up and are for infection to set in.

Palpate her tummy and see how it feels compared to the others. You could very well have a bird turning into and enternal layer.

I have had a bird die from a softshell breaking inside her.

If you even suspect she had this happen I would start her on antibiotics ASAP.

 

[Jillylam]

I had a similar problem not too long ago. I watched one of my girls - who was standing in the middle of the yard outside - drop two eggs out without shells. The other hens ran over and ate them up. I brought her into the coop and saw she had something hanging out. I slowly pulled out a papery white egg shell. I worried about another shell still inside but never saw anything else come out. I brought her in the house for a few days and did the heating pad, warm compresses and massage and extra calcium. 3 days later she laid a normal egg and has been laying fine since. I got very lucky.

NC & NC: I really hope she pulls through ok and that there is no other shell inside. I'm thinking of you.

 

[FrozenChicken]

Quoting From My Complete Guide To Raising Livestock an Poultry
"If you notice a hen enter and leave a nest several times without producing an egg it may well be she is egg bound. A teaspoon of pharmaceutical grade liquid paraffin fed through the beak will deal with constipation which may be causing a blockage by pressing the bowel aggainst the oviduct. Petroliuom jelly applyed around the vent may help to lubricate the passage the egg outwards. Where this fails and hen is in ovoious distress, hold her over hot water so that steam bathes and relaxes the vent, at the same time bathe the vent with water"

Not a pretty process but I think it would work

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Update: My wife put the girls to bed last night and the Delaware (the one having the problems) was in the nesting box.

I was thinking she was taking a turn for the worse, i.e., she couldn't make it up to the roost. I went and checked on her this morning and she was still in the box. Her temperament is totally normal, but she almost seems like she's broody!? She's got 5 eggs under her (from the other girls I presume) and seems like she's taking care of them.

How can I tell if she's broody or getting more sick?

If she is broody I'll have to get Chel to bring me some fertile eggs because this hen would make a great mother (since she's the nicest of the bunch).

 

[wynedot55]

if she pecks at you when you get the eggs from under her.she is going broody.id test her for 4 or 5 days before i put eggs under her.

 

[CarriBrown]

Nifty- Put some golf balls or plastic Easter eggs under her for a couple days until you can get those fertile eggs. Golf balls seem to work best for me!
When mine go broody, the "growl" and cluck if you get too close or take the eggs. They will also tuck a golf ball under themselves if I put it next to them.

 

[Wes in Tx]

OK lesson here her setting in the nest box explains all the missing feathers on her belly. Chickens pull the feathers from their bellys so they can get their body heat and moisture closer to the eggs. That combined with her been on that nest of eggs would lead me to believe that yes she is broody.

Now this doesn't account for the soft shelled egg or the yolk around her vent unless there was a broken egg in the nest box at one time but does explain the missing feathers.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Thanks all! I'll keep an eye on her and keep you posted.