My Very First Emergency: Egg Bound? Pictures Included

[chickenlisa]

While attempting to steam the *** of my hen....managed to knock over freshly boiled water down my leg! Note to self.... Do this on the floor not an unstable surface of step stool

owwwwww! Hope you heal quickly!

 

[casportpony]

While attempting to steam the *** of my hen....managed to knock over freshly boiled water down my leg! Note to self.... Do this on the floor not an unstable surface of step stool

Ouch! Hope you got a good supply of opiates and Silvadene cream, you're going to need it!

 

[hillfloweranch]

Ouch! Hope you got a good supply of opiates and Silvadene cream, you're going to need it!

I got Tequila and silvadene!! I'll be ok...just feel stupid! good news I don't think my hen is egg bound anymore, feel kinda bad I dropped her like a hot potato as I was screaming! LOL ..but she followed me into the bathroom and just stood there while I showered cold water on my leg then stood stock still and let me pick her up. I carried back out to the pen and she's hangin' with scooby roo...probably laughing and telling them the story of the "new owner"

 

[sophiesmith]

Few of my chickens have stopped laying eggs. There vents are swellon. I don't want to take it to the vet. I think it's egg bound. I'm panicking right now? Will they die and what can I do to help them

 

[GoChick]

Hi Sophiesmith,

First... Don't panic! They may not be egg bound.

You mentioned a few of your chickens stopped laying. It would be quite a coincidence for more than one to be egg bound at the same time. Instead, it could be just the time of year. As the days get shorter, chickens slow down their laying and may completely stop until spring. They may just be molting. Have you noticed more feathers laying around, chickens with missing feathers? To give you an idea, I'm getting 8 to 13 eggs a day, out of 27 chickens. They're all molting and taking a break from laying. It's normal. What you may be noticing are their bare butts, instead of the fluffy butts you're used to.

Just a short story for you... Last year, my favorite Plymouth Rock started to look stressed, I though her butt was swollen, immediately though she was egg bound. I brought her inside, bathed her, massaged her, did all the things you're supposed to do to an egg bound chicken. And her butt looked reddish and swollen. This was January, way past when most of my chickens molted. And this one was one of my favorites! I thought I was going to lose her. Well... It turns out she was molting! She had lost all of her butt feathers and that's why it looked so raw and swollen. Fast forward to now, and here she is, still spunky as always, and NOT MOLTING YET!!! All my other chickens are almost over their molting but not this one. She's probably waiting for the next ice storm to start molting!

So - take a good look and see if they're just molting.

However - if they're egg bound, that can be a potentially dangerous problem. I've had egg bound chickens in the past, and treated them by bathing them in warm water, massaging their bellies, and, if this is not enough, putting some olive oil in my finger and very gently going up their vent, probing for a broken egg. So far, I've treated three chickens that were egg bound and did not lose any of them. They're still happily clucking around.

So - relax, check them out again, and if you really think they're egg bound, you can try to help them pass the egg.

Try to post a picture of the chickens - are they all fluffed up and lethargic? Tail down? These could be some signs of egg bound.

 

[Mandys Hens]

Hello, I am new to the chicken life and have a concern with a hen. This particular hen, Opal, is a white leghorn and she is almost 2. I have had her all her life. Last year she ate a decorative rock that my daughter had in her hand. I tried to get it from her, but she ran away with it an eventually ate it quickly because she knew I was chasing her to get it. Well, it was stuck in her throat for about a week, then it evidently went down. I would always look in the coop and never found it. So, long story short, she was laying eggs and life went on, so I forgot about the rock that was about as big around as a nickel, but round like a ball (a big marble type rock). Well, a couple months ago or more, Opal started laying soft eggs a couple times a week and those where her only eggs (normally laid almost everyday). As time has gone by, she tapered down to one soft egg a week, then none. She has not laid an egg in about 3 weeks now. About the time she stopped laying normal, she was limping and overcame that too. She has lost all the feathers off her backside (butt), down to her belly. She has been underactive for most of this time too. I at first thought maybe this rock has gotten in the way and causing grief, but now I wonder if she is egg bound or has an illness. Opal seems to eat fine, but she no longer gets on the perches at night, she sleeps in the nest box. Also, she seems to stay close to the heat lamp I have to keep the water from freezing. Her bum is always yucky looking, some poo and bald. A few weeks ago, her bum seemed very swollen and discolored. I put my hand on it and it seemed very warm, if not hot. So, does anyone have any ideas? I did not know anything about egg bound hens until recently, but I wonder if that could even be the problem. I mean, how long will a hen live that way? This has been going on for over 2 months. The hen just sits around, looks dirty in the back, doesn't lay eggs, sits at the heat, but she eats. I have always had oyster shell and good layer pellets with oyster shell added. Does this sound like an illness? Please help,

 

[ten chicks]

Is she molting? Egg production decreases with the change of seasons,decreased daylight,decrease egg production. For the vent issue,have you looked up information for vent gleet? Here is a link explaining vent gleet. Have a look and see if this is what she has. She stays close to the heat b/c she is not feeling well.

Http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt

 

[sophiesmith]

We found out all of are chickens were molting. Gosh, I panick a lot!

 

[Mandys Hens]

She did just start to molt for the first time, but the issues of her backside and lack of egg laying have been going on for way longer than that. I did look through the link you posted and will check into it more, but I do not feel like that is the issue she has going on.

 

[mamakat74]

Both of my hens stopped laying about 4 or 5 days ago. I was not concerned since both stopped. However, today I went in their "room" and I did not see Harriet. She was in the nesting box, and when I saw her, she made a horrible sounding scream - like I haven't heard from her before. This was maybe 4 or 5 hours ago. I have since warmed up their room and steamed it up (it's a small mud room at the back door of the house), in an attempt to get her to relax. I did feel her abdomen earlier and think I feel an egg there off to the left. I did not separate her from the other hen because they both get stressed when apart. She is still eating, and I think drinking. Her vent was not discolored when I checked earlier. But when she's in the nesting box, she pants and seems to be straining. I think I have caught this early, but I don't really know how long this can go on before I should get really worried. I've just moved and do not yet have a vet familiar with chickens.

At what point should I find a vet or do something differently here?