Puffed feathers. Egg bound?

[Jayteetee]

Hi all,
My 2 year old bantam australorp went broody 12 months ago. She hasnt laid an egg since then. The last few days shes got puffed feathers.
Is this eggbound?
How do I give her a bath safely?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

If she hasn't lain in a year, perhaps she's going to start, and you may be right.

I would get some 300 mg Calcium Citrate +D3. Put one in her beak, and she'll swallow it whole. Give her one a day for a few days up to a week.

If she's acting ill, I wouldn't bathe her, but how I'd do it is get a tub or use my kitchen sink and fill it so there's several inches of warm water with a little Epsom salts in it. Put her in while talking to her to keep her calm and let her soak for several minutes. You'll have to stand there the whole time. You can use a blow dryer on LOW to dry her afterward if you wish.