Poorly Winnie

[jo28]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I noticed our favourite hen Winnie was acting in a perculiar way. She seemed all hunched up with her tail feathers in a downwards position. She was very quiet, which is unusual for winnie as you normally hear her before you see her. She was stood in one position for a long time and not doing much at all.

I immediately googled to see what it could be and thought that she may be egg bound after reading a few entries. It seemed that either putting her in warm water past her vent or holding a warm flannel to it would be the best option.

As Im a dog groomer I have a bath and shower arrrangement in one of the outbuildings so we sat winnie in our hands so her feet werent in the bath and turned on the shower as hot as possible to create steam and held her above it whilst massaging around her vent. after 10mins we put her on the floor and she seemed to have perked up and was fluffng her feathers and then went out into the hen house for something to eat. soon after she passed an egg with no shell. We checked on her around 9pm and she was snuggled with her friends.

Today she was exactly the same but her vent was cntracting constantly. Today I decided to try the bathing as there were no eggs overnight from her or soft ones that we no of. She relaxed into the water and after 10mins i lifted her out and towel dried her. After a couple of mins she pooed a very water/mucasy poo with what looked like yolk in it as it was very yellow however, yellow strands rather than a block yellow colour. she was soon again in the hunched position as if she wanted to lay but nothing happening so i put her in the bath again. 10 mins later again she came out and seemed a lot happier, she was chirping which she hadnt done all day and she was mad to get outside and peck at the ground so i let her for a min as was mindful I didnt want her getting a chill. she passed another poo the same as the other. but her tail was more up in the air as normal rather than downwards, I brought her back in to dry her properly and then it was bed time anyway. she went straight in for something to eat and then got up on her perch.

They are fed on a layers mash mixed with rolled barley and they have barley and layers pellets available to them allday although they are out all day free ranging. Im concious after reading psts that maybe she hasn't enough calcium or grit so i put some sand in tonight and also crushed an egg shell up.

Does anyone have any experience of this? Im not sure if she is egg ound or not but I can't feel any eggs, there are no bumps anywhere but if she isn't producing shells i don't suppose I would feel them. She would probably be about 1 year old if that and hasn't seemed to have any problem previously although when hey first started laying we did get the odd soft shell...

Any comments Appreciated.

Thanks
ReplyQuote Multi
ReplyQuote Multi

 

[Judy]

A good emergency calcium supplement for a chicken is a Tums tablet -- crushed and mixed in a spoonful of yogurt, etc. is a convenient way to give it. Kind of like a vet giving a shot of calcium.

 

[jo28]

Hi, thanks a lot for your reply, what is tums tablet though??

 

[Karhog]

I would try upping her calcium levels a bit- I use limestone flour and add a small scoop to their feed every now and then as my chooks are ex battery and are prone to these soft shells.
Hopefully your chook will feel better now having passed this as they really can make the feel unwell. you have done the right thing with the egg shell etc so fingers crossed she will soon perk up!

 

[klmclain1]

TUMS is an antacid here in the States that has calcium in it. If you don't have something like that, at least start a supplement to your girls' feed like oyster shell. In the meantime, watch her for infection as all that raw egg inside her can cause one. You could do a vinegar douche on her - see https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579610/maybe-an-egg-broken-inside-her-what-do-i-do

 

[jo28]

Thanks, ah yes I know what you mean and I will go out first thing to get some in the morning . I will give the vinegar a go. I syringed some olive oil around the vent today just incase there was a stuck egg but i really don't think this is the case.

 

[Gargoyle]

It sounds like there is a risk an egg broke inside her, in which case it might be good to start her on antibiotics right away.

Here's a thread you should read: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-egg-yolk-peritonitis-would-antibiotics-help

And here is one post I found, rather dire/worst case sounding, but it seems like solid info:

Thanks dawg53.

I also found this in my searches that seems possible. The liquid that drained from her vent into the steaming water almost coagulated like egg.

This condition is sadly common in hybrid hens. It is known as "internal laying". Basically the egg yolk is produced but the oviduct fails to collect it and it drops into the abdominal cavity. This continues until it inevitably becomes infected, then the hen goes downhill very fast - this is egg yolk peritonitis, or EYP.
I have an exbat with the condition too, she has been like this since last Autumn. Antibiotics will only help to keep the infection away, but the eggs will still build up and the hens body cannot absorb them fast enough.
Draining may help, but you would only be delaying the inevitable, as that will only drain excess fluid, not the egg mass building up.

It is very unlikely that the bath would have done her harm - if anything she would have found it a little soothing.

I do feel for you - it is a horrible condition that many of us have had to deal with.

 

[jo28]

Thank you I really hope this isnt going to be a problem for her- i will call into vets in the morning if she hasnt chnged

 

[Gargoyle]

Thank you I really hope this isnt going to be a problem for her- i will call into vets in the morning if she hasnt chnged

and, by the way, welcome to BYC!

 

[jo28]

Thanks everyone for their posts.

Just to let you know, Winnie had perked up a whole lot this morning , she was first out and zipped off down the yard. Late morning she was back in the barn and laid an egg with a rough top to it. she got up and had something to eat and then wondered off. I was watchin her for a while and although walking with her tail up when she was pecking round her tail was still slightly dipped. passed a soggy shell not long after and did another yellowy poo. Seems fine in herself though but following some advice I got a yoghurt and crushed up an antacid tablet in it. she didn't want any so ive left it in their barn tonight.

Will see how she goes on this week, will keep a close eye.

Thanks again....