new member looking for help

[ottcutshe]

Hello-
Our family lives in California, a bit outside of Sacramento. Last April we ventured into the world of backyard chickens. We have 5 girls total and have had a lot of fun raising them. One girl, a Speckeld Sussex, seems to ill right now. Not knowing much about chickens, we are quite concerned. I read a bit online (including byc site) and worry that she might be eggbound. She has been a bit lethargic for a day. Yesterday she mostly just stayed on the roost in the coop. This morning she spent extra time in the coop, then came out and sat backwards on the roost. It looks like her bottom might be a bit swollen and her tail was drooping. Following advice I found online, I just finished up a 20 minute warm water soak. She now seems to be napping in the box of straw I sat out for her. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


The OttoCutting clan.

 

[jdywntr]

How old is she? Has she laid eggs in the past? Was she laying recently? She could be egg bound which is usually what the warm bath is for. I have never dealt with it myself so wait for more suggestions or search "egg bound"

Nice looking girl.

 

[ottcutshe]

We got her, and our other girls, last April. She has laid, though honestly I'm not 100% sure who's laying right now and who's not. I'm worried she might be "egg bound" from what I read. She is a beauty. She doesn't seem to be eating much, though couldn't resist a couple of nibbles of her favorite treat -- tomatoe.
Anna

 

[kchisho]

I haven't run into this, but I would continue the warm bath and make sure you keep her bottom submerged for at least 20 minutes. Don't put too much pressure on her bottom. You don't want to break the egg if she is egg bound

 

[hrhta812]

I love this "spa treatment" process: http://hencam.com/faq/the-spa-treatment/
What I call The Spa Treatment is simply a nice long soak in an epsom salt bath, a dose of olive oil and TLC. Epsom salt is a combination of magnesium and sulfate. You can find it in the pharmacy, as it’s used by people as a laxative and as a foot soak. For such a simple and inexpensive product, it has many curative functions. The magnesium improves circulatory health, flushes toxins, improves muscle and nerve function, maintains the proper level of calcium in the blood and increases oxygen use. The sulfates help form brain tissues and joint proteins, creates mucin proteins that line the digestive tract, detoxifies contaminants, and improves absorption of nutrients. Obviously, it’s a general and potent cure-all. Fortunately, it is absorbed readily through the skin, which makes treatment with it easy.