Suddenly paralysed legs, lifeless and egg-bound

[johhnyduval]

Our fatter bantam chicken suddenly this evening had her beak open and was sitting/hanging off weirdly on her perch. We took her out and she cannot stand. She is lying on her side etc. No broken legs or broken wing.

We did a rubber glove test and my wife and I both agree we can feel an egg just 1 or 2 inches inside.

Could being egg-bound really cause these dramatic symptoms? Right now she looks like a 90% dead chicken to me.

We are giving her calcium rich water through a syringe, we have bathed her for 30 mins, and she is now under a towel and heat lamp. But this sounds much more serious than anything I have read about an egg-bound chicken? She was eating out of my hand about one hour earlier than the symptoms.

 

[Kiki]

I am sorry she is giving your trouble and I hope she pulls through...
Absolutely being egg bound can cause death.
So can being fat.
Proper diet is extremely important.
Have you read this:
http://articles.extension.org/pages/69065/feeding-chickens-for-egg-production

You could try adding some electrolytes in the water too.

 

[johhnyduval]

We now think she somehow poisoned herself. From a nearly dead chicken at 11pm she is now almost recovered. My local chicken dealer thinks poisoning from a garden plant or food she found.

 

[hannahsflock]

I'm so glad she's doing better. Was she egg bound, and did you manage to get the egg out?

 

[johhnyduval]

My dealer said NOT egg-bound as what we could feel was too far inside....and you can normally feel the egg VERY close to the vent, whereas we were touching something deeper. Learning every day.

 

[DuckPro]

Try this link: http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com/site/egg-bound-chicken-symptoms-and-treatment

Sorry to hear that your hen is egg bound.

 

[DuckPro]

Or this: http://m.wikihow.com/Cure-a-Chicken-from-Egg-Bound

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad to hear that your little hen is better. There are many plants that can be toxic to chickens, but most chickens seem to know what is good and what is bad for them. Maybe the poisonous plants taste bad. But i would walk around your chickens ranging area, and look for anything that might cause a problem. I have never experienced poisoning with my chickens, but 2 of my horses once had symptoms of tentanus (lockjaw) for several hours from eating some type of weed or bush. Here are a couple of links with names and pictures of toxic plants:
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/14-toxic-plants-your-chickens-must-avoid-3/
http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/...ickens/plants-that-are-poisonous-to-chickens/
https://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/chickens/chicken_care/poisonous_plants_and_food