Sick laying hen - egg bound maybe??

[Jess1990]

Hey guys, im new here so hopefully have done this right?!
I have a 2 year old rhode island red x that has become sick out of the blue. Shes still eating, drinking and walking around but is a little droppy and more quiet than usual. Her comb is slightly enlarged and quite red (more than usual) and she is doing small milky white droppings with a bit of green/dark brown in them. She hasnt laid an egg for a while, maybe 2 weeks and her sister and her are currently moulting. She is slightly swollen below her vent and has lost a little weight. Any ideas on what this could be? I thought maybe egg bound but not experienced enough!!!

Any feedback greatly welcomed!!

 

[Reurra]

I does sound like a bind. Get a warm bucket of water with some epsom salts in it to soak her for about 20 minutes. Keep some warm water on hand to add to the bucket if the water starts to get cold. When you take her out, make sure to keep her warm until she is completely dry. Give her a warm dark place to rest in too if you are able to.

Warming them up like this can relax the muscles and help bring down the egg. I have also read that a bit of calcium can work. Some inject it, but i dont trust my skill with a needle. The hen I had recently that was egg bound, I mashed up the calcium and fed it to her in a scrambled egg with some B vitamins (without iron) She ate it right up. Its best to get it into them before they stop eating completely.

There are lots of threads here about egg binding. Im sure you can find some really great ideas.

 

[Jess1990]

Thank you i will give it a go! Do i feed her the calcium first and then try the warm bath or wait until the following day for the bath? ( sorry for all the questions)
If she is egg bound could it be multiple eggs or once an egg is stuck they stop producing them?

Cheers,

Jess

 

[Reurra]

Go ahead and feed her after you are done bathing her. Warmth and rest will help her digestion.

And WELCOME to

 

[casportpony]

I've been having lots of egg laying issues here lately... Get yourself some gloves, KY Jelly and *very* gently do a cloacal exam. If there is an egg there, you'll be able to feel it. Put her in a nice, quiet place, then I'd go ahead and give her a human calcium pill. Just open her mouth, stick it in and massage it down into the crop. I would give her at least 500mg. I've done this with at 20 times this year and it's never taken longer than two hours for them to pass the egg.

Unfortunately, since she hasn't laid in awhile, it may be too late as EYP usually happens as a result of egg binding, but maybe she is feeling off due to her molting. Let us know what you find doing the exam.

 

[casportpony]

And welcome to BYC!

 

[Jess1990]

Thanks guys, my chicken isnt cooperating with me so i am off to the specialist vet tomorrow. Part of Her comb has darkened to a purple colour and she is slightly more swollen though eating better and is still active and droppings a normal colour. Im leaning more toward eyp - my ex batt i have had the same thing and had to have fluid drained, antibiotics and the hormone implant! Which worked wonders. I dont hear much about the implants on here but boy they are a godsend and saved my lil girl!

 

[casportpony]

Good luck!