MsBrahma
Chirping
Hi members, we have a red sexlink who's having problems. I suspect she's egg-bound, but am not sure. We have not seen this before. Our chickens are about two years old, free-range.
Yesterday morning this hen was in fine fettle, but late in the day I found her semi-crouched in the grass with her wings drooping. She is our most outgoing hen, and normally vocal and curious, so in addition to the posture, her withdrawn behavior was obvious. She was lethargic and did not take any interest when offered pieces of apple.
We couldn't find any evidence of injury, so we set her up in a hospital crate overnight, with water and a "nest box." I was afraid she might be sick and pass it on. Also we wanted to keep a close eye on her.
This morning we found that she had passed what appeared to be a mixture of egg white and poop, but NO shell or yolk... I am wondering if she still has material inside, and whether I should intervene. I don't want to make things worse. Maybe she just needs time to recover? How long is too long?
The good news is that this morning she drank a lot of water once I drew her attention to it. She also ate pellets! But she is still silent and sitting down, rather than up and expressing curiosity about her unfamiliar confinement. In the past two hours, she has also had two runny poops. I am tempted to give her a bath as her behind is very messy, but I don't want to bother her if she just needs to rest.
Any thoughts or similar experiences would be very welcome!
Yesterday morning this hen was in fine fettle, but late in the day I found her semi-crouched in the grass with her wings drooping. She is our most outgoing hen, and normally vocal and curious, so in addition to the posture, her withdrawn behavior was obvious. She was lethargic and did not take any interest when offered pieces of apple.
We couldn't find any evidence of injury, so we set her up in a hospital crate overnight, with water and a "nest box." I was afraid she might be sick and pass it on. Also we wanted to keep a close eye on her.
This morning we found that she had passed what appeared to be a mixture of egg white and poop, but NO shell or yolk... I am wondering if she still has material inside, and whether I should intervene. I don't want to make things worse. Maybe she just needs time to recover? How long is too long?
The good news is that this morning she drank a lot of water once I drew her attention to it. She also ate pellets! But she is still silent and sitting down, rather than up and expressing curiosity about her unfamiliar confinement. In the past two hours, she has also had two runny poops. I am tempted to give her a bath as her behind is very messy, but I don't want to bother her if she just needs to rest.
Any thoughts or similar experiences would be very welcome!