Not sure if eggbound...

[NinjaChicken]

Wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this...(I am fairly new to the chicken raising).
My hen has been lying in her nest for two days. No egg. I put her in the bathtub with warm water for a half hour and massaged her abdomen. She pooped a lot and ate the food I held for her. Since she pooped, does that mean that she is not eggbound? There is nothing physically different about her (clocoa looks same, no body distension) . But she does appear to be pushing. Thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[Dawn419]

I have no idea, as I've been fortunate enough to not have had to deal with this problem...yet.

Try doing a Search on eggbound, as there are alot of posts on it already.

Soory I couldn't be more help.


Dawn

 

[NinjaChicken]

Thanks for the info, Dawn.

Yup, I did a search for egg bound but still wonder: if she is eggbound, can she still poop? And the poop that she did expel was of the consistency that I would expect from a healthy chicken. Her appetite is good (I fed her while she was soaking) and she drank water.

 

[patandchickens]

On the offchance: are you having a spell of cold weather? Does she walk ok, when you 'make' her walk? Is it possible she's hiding from some other chicken(s) bullying her? Does her tummy seem swollen or weirdly doughy?

Just want to make sure the alternatives are being considered too.

(e.t.a. - yes, they can still poop while eggbound, as I discovered last fall).

It does sound a little confusing, and I think I'd be doing same as you are.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[NinjaChicken]

Hi Pat-
She seems to walk fine, her body feels the same, no lumps or dents. I gave her the warm bath last night, dried her, and let her walk back the coop. She looked and acted normal. This morning she was on her nest looking like she was trying to lay an egg. When I fed let the chickens out and fed them some corn, she hopped right out of the nest to join in.

No cold weather but a couple days of heat wave. Now back to normal weather. She is the bully and the other chickens appear to act as they normally do. No odd or changed behavior.

Mystery!!