Please...my pet chicken is eggbound...time is of the essence

[lusty]

I just returned home from being away 2 weeks. My hens came running to see me and I noticed one was missing....then I noticed her painfully waddling toward me like a penguin. She is so distended. I have my son with her right now in the hen house and I have a lamp on her. She ate out of my hand...but didn't want to drink. How can I get these eggs out of her??? Does she really have a chance? I don't even know where the duct is!!! Sorry...ignorance can be bliss...but not this time...help please???

 

[LynneP]

Click on the 'Search' function to link to many responses on eggbound hens. I have no experience but I do remember about gently bathing the hen in warm water to assist her...please let us know how she is doing

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i tried doing a search on egg bound for you. Some folks suggest lubricating the vent, then inserting a pencil to break the egg and remove it. Others cautioned that the broken shell could cause damage to the hen's insides.

If it were me, and because i have never tried anything tricky like that, i would get my hen to an avian vet pronto.

 

[chickenzoo]

When my silkie hen was egg bound a gave warm bathes in the sink, lubed her vent with KY or vasoline. I could feel the egg low by her pelvis. I did end up having to take her to the Vet because when I tried to massage it out, it broke. They removed as much of the egg shell as they could and told me if it passed in the next few days she would be o.k. I put her on Terrimyacin and watched her for a few days, I never did see the egg fragments, but it's now been 6 months and she's fine. Hope she does well...

 

[lusty]

okay so now i have soaked her in a bath of ohot water and near the vent at the base of her feathers i am finding clusters of sporous mass. does any one now what this is?

 

[chickenzoo]

If it is attached to the feathers it could be mites, if I am understanding you correctly.

 

[hinkjc]

I am not sure what you mean by sporous mass? Can you get a pic of it? If the hen is eggbound and left to soak long enough, she will generally relax her muscles back there to pass the egg. Sometimes additional lubricant is necessary. I would never break an egg inside a hen. Remember if you try to help her pass it..the ovaduct goes in and upward. The downward direction is where the feces comes from.

Jody

 

[lusty]

I sure appreciate everyone's attention. I'm starting to doubt that she is egg bound. She has a very distended abdomen...stretched, but when I push on it, I don't feel anything egg shaped - it actually feels soft inside. It is warm to the touch. She is eating and drinking, very slow moving. I am thinking that these "masses" (attached to her feathers, close to her duct) are related to either lice or mite or some other parasite? Is it possible that they have caused her some kind of infection that is causing bloating? I soaked her twice today in warm water (15 minutes each time)...she seemed to enjoy it

. When I was holding her with a towel to dry off a bit, she seemed to spit up some liquid...twice...ideas??? I have tried all the vets here, the response is...they don't deal with chickens. The local chicken experts are saying they would just kill it...nobody here seems to understand the "pet" thing....

If she survives the night, I will try to take pictures tomorrow...thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Totally agree with Jody (HincJ)...dont stick your finger up and try to feel anything either..usually does more harm than good (unless you are a vet and do it for a specfic reason)
It could be any number of things that have to do with reproductive problems and if this is a bird that lays only very sporadically then you might have a false/internal layer and that is a whole different kettle of fish.
ASCITES (fluid build up) is quite common condition not only with reproductive problems but also other things. Without extensive testing at a vet we can only surmise what may be the cause of the distended abdomen altho if she recently stopped laying it can usually be surmised that it is a reproductive problem.
I would keep up the warm baths and lube the vent with ky jelly ... you can also give her one crushed up TUM which is the equivalent of calcium gluconate she would receive at vet. You can also give her three drops of POLYVISOL Enfamil (no extra iron) three drops a day for a week (vit D3 deficiency is paired with calcium absorption and vit A deficiency can also occasionallly be involved in many problems) >>> the polyvisol wont hurt and very well might help.

When I was holding her with a towel to dry off a bit, she seemed to spit up some liquid...twice...ideas??? I have tried all the vets here, the response is...they don't deal with chickens. The local chicken experts are saying they would just kill it...nobody here seems to understand the "pet" thing

more than likely mites see link below for photos to compare and treatment measures (you can also use a kitten flea shampoo and therafter a spray you can get at the petstore that is used to spray on pet caged birds to deal with mites)
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

...no the mites would not cause (directly) the distended abdomen but often follow on the tail-end (no pun intended) of an illness as the bird is weak.
Her spitting up fluid is probably due to (too much) pressure on the crop while holding her.​

 

[lusty]

I have recognized the "mass"..they are lice eggs ...I'm 95% sure....She is still with us this morning, not much change though. I crushed up a tums and she eagerly pecked it out of my hand...she liked it

. I seem to be learning an awful lot about my hen these days! Tubs and tums...hmmmm....anyways...I'll try the soaking in warm water today and will go to the farm and feed store when it opens. I'm so glad that I found this forum...I don't know what I would do without all your advice...thank you again...Lisa