Trouble with egg bound chickens

[SalChickenOwner]

How are you diagnosing that they are egg bound and it is the cause of death? How many hens do you have or rather what percentage of your hens have suffered this issue in the past year? Have you ever watched the old medical drama House? Everything was lupus until it wasn’t, it is the same with chickens: it is always either egg bound or coccidiosis, except it very often isn’t, and sadly apple cider vinegar in the water isn’t a cure all. You need to know what the problem is before you can solve it. If you have a 30% annual egg bound hen problem that seems alarmingly high, could be a freak genetic thing if all birds are related, maybe a weird dietary phenomenon rarely encountered (unlikely), but the incidence rate, unless you have 200 hens seems way too high, could you have had one bird that had it, possibly two but I’m guessing you had other issues in play. Low blood calcium is the primary cause (exacerbated by larger eggs certainly), it doesn’t necessarily mean the dietary calcium is low but it’s complicated by dietary, absorption, metabolism and life stage issues. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction, thus no contractions to push out eggs. In cattle it is called milk fever and is also associated with uterine prolapse (and vent prolapse in birds!). Cows are given iv calcium to counteract the immediate issues but heart attack is a possible side effect as too much calcium in the blood also causes it’s own issues. They actually decrease the amount of calcium in a near term cow’s diet which seems counter intuitive as she needs extra calcium for birth and milk production, but what this does is it makes sure the cow’s body is geared up to both absorb dietary calcium efficiently and also release calcium effectively from the bones when the sudden demand of labor and lactation need a huge boost. Too much dietary calcium makes the body inefficient (out of practice) for such demands and the sudden drop in blood calcium can stop labor, lead to uterine prolapse, and eventually death if untreated. If this is truly an egg bound epidemic, maybe your dietary calcium levels are too high, you’ll need to take into account all feed and treats etc and do some math, aim for whatever the recommended levels are for chickens (3.5% in quail). Also start considering other options or alternative diagnoses, is this really an issue or something else entirely you’ve simply labeled as such. Animals suffering from hypocalcemia are prone to heart issues immediately afterwards, as the heart is also a muscle, so heart attack is certainly possible in this case, but hard to say on other two without knowing details. Sorry this is so long winded and complicated but getting a diagnosis and formulating a treatment plan is a lot more complicated than typing symptoms into google, hope you figure things out!

I have 3 hens left not a lot, I've seen the egg each time. It definitely looks like a heart attack. They become egg bound then suddenly struggle and start doing this crazy thing where they just die. Thank you for your information

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, if egg bound is suspected, you should give a calcium tablet. Have you see any soft eggs? What state are you in? Most state vets offer to do a necropsy/autopsy on a chicken that dies, to look for a cause of death. Many states are low cost. When I lose one, I will either ask the state vet in OH to do a necropsy, or I will do a brief home necropsy to look at the abdominal organs. Many times we can see clues to what has happened. So, if you lose another, contact your state vet lab, or watch the video below where a vet does a thorough necropsy. They also collect tissue samples to examine cells under a microscope and to determine do cultures for certain bacteria. If you ever need to do your own necropsy, post pictures here and many will try to help.

 

[SalChickenOwner]

Yes, if egg bound is suspected, you should give a calcium tablet. Have you see any soft eggs? What state are you in? Most state vets offer to do a necropsy/autopsy on a chicken that dies, to look for a cause of death. Many states are low cost. When I lose one, I will either ask the state vet in OH to do a necropsy, or I will do a brief home necropsy to look at the abdominal organs. Many times we can see clues to what has happened. So, if you lose another, contact your state vet lab, or watch the video below where a vet does a thorough necropsy. They also collect tissue samples to examine cells under a microscope and to determine do cultures for certain bacteria. If you ever need to do your own necropsy, post pictures here and many will try to help.

Yes I have noticed their egg shells are soft, i have osyter shells on the way. Sadly vet visits here in cali charge you like 300 dollars just to walk in through those doors.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes I have noticed their egg shells are soft, i have osyter shells on the way. Sadly vet visits here in cali charge you like 300 dollars just to walk in through those doors.

Last time I sent a bird in for necropsy to UC Davis.. the cost was $40 for 2 birds. I looked it up and it appears to be $35 for 2 birds from a backyard flock..

https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/tests-and-fees

This second link is for pricing on other test they can run..
https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/si...f Common Tests Performed May 2021 updated.pdf

 

[SalChickenOwner]

Last time I sent a bird in for necropsy to UC Davis.. the cost was $40 for 2 birds. I looked it up and it appears to be $35 for 2 birds from a backyard flock..

https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/tests-and-fees

This second link is for pricing on other test they can run..
https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk2461/files/media/documents/BYF List of Common Tests Performed May 2021 updated.pdf

Thanks for the info, just buried her a while ago however. I will be keeping this in mind. Thanks again