Possible pullet egg bound

[Miss Chris]

Help needed..
Hello I have a pullet Olive Egger Sadie...she’s been laying beautiful eggs daily since December 15th...
3 days ago she stopping laying and went from being one of my top girls to withdrawing sitting on her perch and not interacting as usual
I separated her by putting her in a baby playpen on the other end of the coup...she was drinking and eating but not nearly as aggressive as usual
I put her back with the girls at bed time and again in the morning she was up on her perch acting the same as the day before
after hours of research and up until an hour ago this is what I have done
(she now is in my house comfortable in her play pen)
she has had approx 4 Epsom salt baths with me rubbing her belly
she has been drinking calcium crushed and mixed with water along with some coconut oil as well (shes very compliant)
I have used coconut oil as a lubricant and checked her vent for an egg although I do not feel the egg internally I believe I do feel it when rubbing her belly
i have used a very small syringe and inserted pure coconut oil to moisten the vent
her vent has been pulsating however I read that that is normal

she has been eating a little especially her greens
im on top of her drinking
her poop is small and dark on the wet side and not very frequent

so Please send any advice you have I will do everything to help her
Thanks so much

 

[azygous]

It's certainly possible she has an egg stuck. But have you checked her crop to rule out that issue? While you have her under observation, take up all food and water at bedtime and then check her crop in the morning first thing for fullness. If it's full, it may be a crop disorder making her feel ill. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

In case it's a reproductive issue, she would probably respond better to continual moist heat instead of being dunked into a bath, which can induce stress and actually make it more difficult for the egg to come out.

I get a crate that's tall enough for the hen to stand in since they need to stand to expel the egg and you need make her stay on the heat. Place a heating pad on medium or low or a hot water bottle in the crate. Wet a thick bath towel with warm water and wring it thoroughly in the washer spin cycle and place it folded over the heating pad. Then place the hen on top of the moist towel for the night.

No need to crush a calcium tablet, and that's better than oyster shell for this issue, just pop the whole tab into her beak. She needs a heavy shot of calcium to trigger her contractions to get the egg out.

Pay close attention to what does come out. If it's a crushed egg or collapsed membrane, there may be more egg material that has to come out. Your hen will perk up and start acting more normal once it's all out. But if yolk broke inside her, she probably should have an antibiotic to head off a serious infection that could make her sterile.

 

[Miss Chris]

Ok thank you I will definitely check for crop I never thought of that. Hopefully tomorrow things will be better.