Probable egg bound hen

[Emilyjp]

Hi, I’m new here! I have a flock on the Big Island of Hawaii. Currently I have a 2 1/2 year old hen that I think is egg bound. Poopy bum, just wanted to lay around, panting, swollen abdomen, and a continually pulsating vent. I’ve read that this is fatal within 48 hours. Trouble is, we’re on day 5 and she’s still alive and alert. The first few days I did warm epsom soaks, lubricated vent with vaseline and preparation H. I’ve been feeding her foods like scrambled eggs and oatmeal with crushed Tums in it for the calcium. She’s in a kennel in our house. She’s interested in the food I make her, not very interested in water, and still no egg. Anyone else have a similar situation? I just started nursing school so don’t have a lot of time and we don’t have a lot of vets on the island. If she’s egg bound I don’t see how she can still be alive, yet I don’t know what else it could be with these symptoms and no egg… Thank you for any advice!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Has she been pooping the regular and the cecal poo? Can you give her a calcium. Citrate tablet for a few days? I had a hen that I thought was egg bound, but she never passed an egg. I had her inside resting, gave her Epsom salt bath, calcium citrate and all the yummy goodies. Two weeks later and she's having a soft molt.

Can you post some pictures?

 

[Tookie]

She is most likely egg bound or has ascites, I'm thinking ascites because if she was egg bound I think she wouldn't have made it this far. How much is her abdomen bloated? Try and compare it to another chickens abdomen and see if there's a big difference. The abdomen is below the vent in between the legs. If she is egg bound she need calcium citrate +D3 right away. When was the last time you know she laid an egg?

 

[Emilyjp]

Has she been pooping the regular and the cecal poo? Can you give her a calcium. Citrate tablet for a few days? I had a hen that I thought was egg bound, but she never passed an egg. I had her inside resting, gave her Epsom salt bath, calcium citrate and all the yummy goodies. Two weeks later and she's having a soft molt.

Can you post some pictures?

I will post a picture of her and her poop. It looks bad because I was gone for 14 hours yesterday and left my husband to deal with her. He kept her fed but didn’t clean up her area. she seems fairly perky today, still no egg, still a swollen abdomen, and still a pulsating vent. I do have capsules that are a combination of calcium citrate and magnesium- not a very high dose however. Would I just open them up and sprinkle it into food?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I will post a picture of her and her poop. It looks bad because I was gone for 14 hours yesterday and left my husband to deal with her. He kept her fed but didn’t clean up her area. she seems fairly perky today, still no egg, still a swollen abdomen, and still a pulsating vent. I do have capsules that are a combination of calcium citrate and magnesium- not a very high dose however. Would I just open them up and sprinkle it into food?

Just open her beak by gently pulling down on her waddles and pop the whole pill in there, she'll swallow it