Two or more eggs stuck in hen

[Mammachix]

I have an egg-bound hen. I can see the egg pushing against her vent. During a hot bath, I can put a finger in her vent and feel at least two, if not three, hard eggs lined up to come out. This is a hen who has not laid in a few months. She is probably an internal layer and every so often plops out a soft-shelled egg that the rest of the flock probably cleans up before I even see it. She is not a healthy hen overall, but somewhat of a favorite. I cannot feel the egg, or I might try to break and remove the first egg, so that things can get moving. I have given her two hot baths in the past two hours and 1 cc of liquid calcium injected about two hours ago. No progress. She has not laid a hard-shelled egg in a few months, however, I recently switched feed to see if it would improve egg shell quality, and the eggs I feel in her now feel hard.

Any other suggestions?

At what point do I put this hen to rest? I'm sure she is not comfortable.

Thanks for your ideas.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not dealt with this personally, but it sounds like you are doing the right things. Vitamin D is also needed to help with calcium absorption, but she hopefully is getting that in her food. During a warm shallow bath it may help to gently massage the lower abdomen toward the vent to help pass the egg. Putting her down would be something to do if she is suffering, and you don't feel that you can get the egg out. I 'm hoping that you can get her to lay the egg. Can you try taking her to a vet who could get the egg out?

 

[Mammachix]

Good morning,

We decided to give her the night to see if she laid by morning. She had not and was still having labored breathing, so we put her down. I have never seen a chicken die more happily, to be honest. One big sigh of relief. She went fast, no twitching.

Then, I did an autopsy and she didn't have an egg in her at all. She was completely full of hardened egg yolk. Thanks to others who have posted pictures of this, so I will not. I'm really not sure how people ever farmed before the internet. I'm not sure I would be able to!

Anyway, just sharing this for others who find themselves in a similar situation. It looked like an egg, and felt like an egg, but it quacked like a duck.

Lesson learned: when I know a hen is an internal layer, I will put her down right away rather than letting her suffer for months.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss, and happy that she is not suffering.