Needing help to identify if my chicken is egg bound, Unwell or broody?!?!?

[StevieKnee]

Sorry if this is on the wrong thread page or whatever, couldn't seem to find how to post anywhere else :/ I hope someone here can offer me sone help...

Firstly my chicken
hasn't laid an egg in around a month... She kept getting herself into a bit of a mess to the point where I had to cut all her feather on her bum down as they were very matted with poo. I thought maybe that was the reason she was unhappy. I have kept an eye on her... She is eating, drinking, running around until the last week or so. She seems to sit at every opportunity and seems to stay near her coop/run when I let her out for a wonder in the garden. She is eating still but not as much, she is drinking often though, she walks very slowly and seems to look a lot fatter then normal. My first thought is she is egg bound, I have tried sitting her in warm water and feeling around to see if I can feel an egg but I've never felt what an egg bound chicken feels like before... There isn't anything hard exactly or solid but she feels slightly tougher round her bum then her belly? But nothing strong enough to tell me there is an egg there, She wasn't unsettled at all at me touching her there.
I kept her away from our other chicken (we only have 2) for a good few hours for her to dry out and relax. This morning she seems to be a little better but still not right. She is walking more and pecking at the grass but still very puffy and not as quick to move as she used to be. Her crest is very red still but flopped to one side. I read online these can also be the symptoms of a broody hen.... Another thing I read she is very warm/hot under her belly, compared her to my other chicken, they are totally different?

Would I know for sure if she is egg bound or not? Is the egg that obvious to feel? Baring in mind she has been off for over a week or so and they don't survive that log with a stuck egg? :/

Or could she be broody... If so, what do I do now?

Or could she be unwell and depressed for a reason?

Any advice or some insight would be really great fully received! I feel this has gone on way longer then it should have and I don't want her in pain or uncomfortable any more then she has, or if there is anything I can do to help her!

Thankyou

 

[azygous]

I agree something is off about your hen. I don't think she's broody. She would be glued to the nest and would be making an awful squawking if you tried to stop her from being on it.

It appears she may have a wider stance than your other hen. It's hard to verify in the photos. Does she walk with her legs far apart and kind of waddle like a penguin when she walks? Does her belly between her legs feel like a water balloon and hang down?

I don't think she has egg peritonitis either, since her comb appears to be a normal reddish pink, and not cherry red as it would be if she was running a fever.

If you answer yes to the waddling walk, she may have acites, pronounced ah-see-tees. It's liver disease and fluid builds up in the abdominal cavity. Not much can be done except to release the fluid, and it's best to have a vet do that.

 

[donrae]

I agree she's not broody. Beyond that, I'm not much help. I'd advise to post in the Injuries/Diseases section.

 

[StevieKnee]

Thankyou For you replies!

Broody was just a chance but more me hoping I think as I don't want her go be unwel.

But yes she does walk like a penguin and feel very squishy underneath as if full of fluid.
She seems brighter some days then other, the past 2 days she has been normal but she still has a waddle bless her!

I think a trip to the vets or at least a phone call would help out.
At least I know she isn't egg bound or broody now, thankyou for your help!

 

[Alyssa23]

I have a question how can I tell if my chicken has eggs in her belly?

 

[pdirt]

I have a question how can I tell if my chicken has eggs in her belly?

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