sick RIR pullett

[Melinda35]

My RIR pullet that is about 7 months old is acting sick. I noticed about three days ago that she was holding her tail down. This morning she did not come out of the coop and was very easy to catch. I have put her in a small cage away from the other pullets. She is not laying down at all. She is just standing there with her tail down like she is hunched over. It looks like she is eating. Her poop is not normal. What should be white is actually yellow and runny. I can't really determine if it is an egg yolk or not. I cannot tell you if she is laying as I have 13 others that look just like her. All other pullets are acting just fine. I was keeping her caged up to see if she lays an egg. Any ideas would be great.

As soon as I figure out how to upload pictures I will do that. Thanks for your help!

 

[Melinda35]

Hopefully this works! Here is what my RIR looks like.

 

[Judy]

If she were mine I'd guess that an egg is broken inside her, and read up on handling chickens with egg laying problems on the FAQ page. I know she should have a warm bath and then a darkened place to rest. What's tricky is deciding whether to try to remove the shell; that's why I'd read up first.

 

[Melinda35]

Thank you. I have been reading up on egg bound. I just needed someone with more experience to tell me that's what I should do. Luckily right now it is nice and warm outside so I will get to the bath before the cold front comes.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Or she could be straining to lay an egg. That position looks like egg laying position. Do you see her occasionally pushing or straining?

The point of the warm bath is to relax her so any stuck egg inside will come out. Put her in the sink or a tub of water so that it covers her vent. Warm water, not too hot, but comfortably warm. Hold her there for at least 10 minutes. Take her out and blow dry her bottom, being careful to keep your hand between the blow dryer and her bottom so she doesn't get burned. Watch and see if she is straining to lay an egg. You can lube her vent with some KY or vasoline. KY is better as it's water soluable. If you don't see any progress, do the warm bath again. If she does have an egg stuck, straining to lay it puts a lot of pressure on them and they can die from it.

If it so happens that she had an egg break in her, that can be serious as the sharp shell can cut up the inside of the vent. i've never had this happen before, but i would think you could gently put your fingers inside her vent, just a little ways (use Ky or valsoline on fingers) and see if you can feel anything. Were it me, a broken shell would mean a trip to the vet.