Signs of egg bound with other symptoms

[Marina20]

Hello,
Our hen is acting out of sorts and we are not sure what’s going on:
Coming up to 2yrs old
Doing the Duck penguin walk and has trouble getting up on roosts
Is laying down and has trouble getting up
Is puffed up and droopy and lethargic
Is still pooping and not runny just small and mainly green and brown
Is still eating and drinking- have isolates her and her food and drink is nice and close to her
Hasn’t been laying
Have given her 3 Esp salt baths now
Abdomen and vent area hard- vent area looks like there is an egg shape there
shakes head every now and then
She has been like this for close to a week now with no improvements.
We don’t know what to try next other then put her down?!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. Can you insert a clean or gloved finger inside her vent to check for a stuck egg. More likely, since it has been a week, she might be suffering from salpingitis or lash egg material inside her abdomen. Reproductive issues are commkn in hens over 2 years unfortunately. That can cause similar symptoms to egg binding. If you feel an egg or mass let us know.

 

[Marina20]

Sorry about your hen. Can you insert a clean or gloved finger inside her vent to check for a stuck egg. More likely, since it has been a week, she might be suffering from salpingitis or lash egg material inside her abdomen. Reproductive issues are commkn in hens over 2 years unfortunately. That can cause similar symptoms to egg binding. If you feel an egg or mass let us know.

Thanks for that, I couldn’t bring myself to insert finger (gag!) but I can see a lump at her vent.
She is still hanging in there but yesterday she was lying down and was very off balance and feet kinda scrunched up even!
Is it better to just put her down- would she be suffering?
Not that I can bring myself to do that either!!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Only you there with her could tell if she is suffering. I look at them to see if they are eating and drinking anything, and if they can stand and move around some. Check her crop in early morning to see if it is emptying overnight. Is she with other chickens or is she isolated? When they give up and are too weak other chickens frequently may sense this and start to peck them. If you feel at all that she is suffering I would put her down. Many of us do a necropsy at home to look at the abdominal organs, just to see if we can spot a cause of illness. You can take pictures to post here if you decide to do one. Sorry that she has not improved.

 

[Marina20]

Only you there with her could tell if she is suffering. I look at them to see if they are eating and drinking anything, and if they can stand and move around some. Check her crop in early morning to see if it is emptying overnight. Is she with other chickens or is she isolated? When they give up and are too weak other chickens frequently may sense this and start to peck them. If you feel at all that she is suffering I would put her down. Many of us do a necropsy at home to look at the abdominal organs, just to see if we can spot a cause of illness. You can take pictures to post here if you decide to do one. Sorry that she has not improved.

she is still eating and drinking (not much but) and only because it’s right there for her.
We have isolated her, but she was the top hen so the others would just leave her alone.
What’s a necropsy??

 

[Eggcessive]

It is an autopsy on an animal after they die to find out why they have died. There are some articles and videos on how to do them, but the ones we do at home are not as extensive as one a vet would do. Most state poultry vets will do them for a fee.