GimmeDaEggs
Chirping
Hen is a 2.5 yr old RIR. Excellent layer and good body weight at baseline. About a week ago she tried to sleep in the egg box would not jump up to roost, then wouldn't jump up into coop (elevated coop, don't use a ladder). These are never issues for her. Isolated her and she's not laying. There's a firm mass and fullness to her posterior abdomen palpable below her vent. I figured she was egg bound. Gave her warm soak, 800mg oral calcium, massaged around posterior abdomen pushing mass towards vent. Digital examination of her vent does not allow me to specify feel an egg (no hard smooth shell to feel) although same as her external exam I can feel that there's a large firm mass in posterior abdomen. Vent otherwise looks healthy and clean. She's making normal poops.
This whole time she's been drinking. I see her eating but not getting a nice full crop as usual. Today she felt a bit lighter than usual. She goes about the run pretty normally with the other hens. Has resumed jumping to the coop and roost. Has never penguin walked or appeared straining. Tail is mostly up as it usually is.
If this was just an egg bound hen I'd have thought she'd be really going downhill after a whole week. Other things I was thinking would be malignancy; she's young but hey sometimes the world's unfair. Seems unlikely an infection given the duration and that she's certainly not decompensating or rapidly progressing.
I'm interested in learning about this and home management. I have a medical background. No plan for vet involvement. Ultimately all my chickens go to the stewpot but I had liked this one and hoped for another year of laying.
This whole time she's been drinking. I see her eating but not getting a nice full crop as usual. Today she felt a bit lighter than usual. She goes about the run pretty normally with the other hens. Has resumed jumping to the coop and roost. Has never penguin walked or appeared straining. Tail is mostly up as it usually is.
If this was just an egg bound hen I'd have thought she'd be really going downhill after a whole week. Other things I was thinking would be malignancy; she's young but hey sometimes the world's unfair. Seems unlikely an infection given the duration and that she's certainly not decompensating or rapidly progressing.
I'm interested in learning about this and home management. I have a medical background. No plan for vet involvement. Ultimately all my chickens go to the stewpot but I had liked this one and hoped for another year of laying.