Sick hen

threecutechicks

Songster
13 Years
May 20, 2011
69
24
111
Clinton, WA
I have a 2yo Amethyst hen, 2 months ago she stopped laying eggs, she had been laying all winter with no supplemental light. Husband found that she is hard under her wings. She has stopped squatting. She looks like she is always fluffed. Her feathers look shaggy. She is walking slower than normal. Her comb is dark red and droops. Her eyes seem clear. Runny poop and no discharge. Since she shares coop with other we cant tell if she is drinking or eating. I put some bugs our for them today and she did not eat any of them, they are her faves. I need to know what i can do to help her, we have no vet to help.
 
It can be hard to know what is going on with her. Can you tell more about what feels hard? How does her crop feel? Is she swollen in her lower abdomen? Can you separate her in a dog crate with food and water, so that you can keep an eye on her? I would offer some electrolytes an vitamins. Scrambled egg and wet chicken ffed are some things she might eat. Can you insert a clean finger into her vent and feel for a stuck egg? What do her poops look like?
 
Ok, i put my finger in her vent and there was a round hard thing in there, i could move my finger around it, is that an egg? If so, i do i dislodge it?
 
Sounds like an egg. Give her a dose of 1/2 a Tums or human calcuim tablet, or some cooked yolk and crushed shell. Set her on a warm towel in a warm humid spot. Lubricate her vent and give her some time to pass the egg in a calm setting. The calcium can help her muscles pass the egg.
 
I gave her a soak in some warm water and Epsom salts. She is now in the shed with a light for warmth. I will try the tums in the morning. Will be also cooking her some yolk too. I also got some chicken vitamins. Thanks so much.
 

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