Need HELP!!!!

[10Momma14]

I have a hen that her back under side has became large. To the point she really has to waddle to walk and even falls over at times. I have felt her back underbelly, it is very firm. She looks like at times she is trying to do away with waste, but she hurts. She had a lot of matter on her back side, I was able to get it all off. What could have caused them problem? I don't have money for a vet bill right now, or I would take her.

 

[Fowl Momma]

Sounds like she is egg bound. Go to the chicken chick's website and look at how to help her. You'll have to soak her underside in a warm water bath. If she is egg bound, she may die without help. The website I mentioned has complete instructions to help her. The sooner the better.

 

[10Momma14]

She's been like this for about a week now. But she is eating and drinking like usual. What is the URL for the site?

 

[10Momma14]

Everything that I read about an egg bound hen, my hen has. But I can't seem to find an egg in her.

 

[Fowl Momma]

Www.The-Chicken-Chick.Com I've never dealt with an egg bound chicken. I've just read a lot about it in order to be prepared in case it happens. I really hope this helps. Hopefully someone else will give some more advice. How is she doing now?

 

[KayTee]

Egg bound is when a fully formed egg gets stuck on the way out. What you describe sounds more like internal laying, where shelless or soft shelled eggs are deposited into the body cavity instead of being passed out as normal. This fills the body cavity, causing it to swell and become hard. In some cases the matter inside the chicken can become infected (egg yolk peritonitis), which can be fatal very quickly (it can sometimes be treated with antibiotics). In other cases the chicken can live for several months with the condition.

I have had three cases of internal laying - one of my girls went downhill very rapidly and I had to put her out of her misery within a week or so of her showing the first signs. Another girl lasted around 5 weeks before stopping eating and drinking, and so she also had to be put down. My third girl has been suffering from internal laying for around 6 months. She is very wide and swollen in her back end, but she still runs around with the flock, bosses the other chickens around, and eats and drinks very well. In the beginning she drank huge amounts and had very water poo, but it is now back to almost normal. I know that she is living on borrowed time, but as long as she does not appear to be suffering too much I will let her be. However, the moment that I can see she is unable to walk properly, or she stops eating and drinking, I will send her to chicken heaven as well.

In the end you have to decide if the chicken still has quality of life or not. If the answer is no, then as a responsible pet owner you need to take the hard decision to euthanise to avoid further suffering.

 

[10Momma14]

Fowl Momma, she looks like she isn't doing well. I have tried doing the warm water bath, even read to put a little Epson salt. She would sit in the water until it gotcold and then she got out. But the poor girl just rolls onto her side when she lays on her belly.

KayTee, what causes them to be shelless or soft shelled eggs are deposited into the body cavity instead of being passed out as normal? She's still eating, but I'm not real sure of drinking.

We may have to put her down, even as bad as I hate o. I don't want her suffering no more then she needs to. Thank you both for your help.

 

[KayTee]

Internal laying is most usually a problem in production breed hens - nobody seems to have a definite answer, but there seems to be something genetic linked to the fact that they are designed to lay as many eggs as possible in a very short period of time. That's great for owners - you can get up to 300 eggs a year from one bird, but once they get to around three years old something starts to go wrong. My girls that suffered were two red sex links and a black sex link, all around 2.5 - 3 years old.

In all honesty, if she is unable to stand or walk properly and you can't take her to a vet, I don't really see that you have a lot of choice. Internal laying is not something that improves. Sometimes the hen stops producing eggs, and can survive for a while if she does not have too much material already inside her (as one of my girls is doing), sometimes a vet can operate to remove the material and insert a 'contraceptive' pill under the skin that stops the hen laying any more (but that is very expensive to do), but most of the time it is simply a question of knowing when to let them go.

I am very sorry for you and your hen, but from your description it does sound like she is in a bad way. However, only you are in a position to know exactly how she is doing, and whether or not she is suffering, and in the end it is your descision on whether to try and continue to treat her or not. You can get advice from everyone on BYC (and I would be happy for someone else to chip in with any other opinions they may have), but we are not there and can't see your girl, so we can only give our own experiences and suggestions.

The final choice is up to you, but whatever you choose it will be the right decision for you and your girl.

 

[Fowl Momma]

I'm so sorry. I wish I could help you more. Kay tee is giving you great advice. I hate when these things happen. I also hate when someone says, "it's just a chicken". Our chickens are no less loved than a dog or cat or horse etc. It hurts to lose our chickens. I'm not sure how to put a chicken down without euthanizing them. If it comes to that, it helps to give them a funeral though. My husband and I had to have one for my sweet Granny. She was an awesome, friendly chicken that somehow got her neck slit. I found her laying on her side. I cried and gave her a hug and said a prayer at her funeral. My friends think I'm nuts, but they are coming around. Give her a hug for me, and I'll pray for her to not suffer whatever the outcome.

 

[10Momma14]

Would she be eatable with her condition? It is hard to lose a chicken, even one you have watch grow up. She is almost 2 years old.