*UPDATE* Advice Needed! Eggbound/ Prolapsed Hen???

[MamaManda]

THANK YOU. I sprayed her off, and soaked her in a tub of water for at least a half hour. Not to give TMI, but when we rinsed her, parts of the bulge from the picture above that had seemed to 'dry up' a little was falling off. When I had her in the water, she pooped, and then I noticed the dried up area was gone - it either fell off, or went back in. I don't know which, because it didn't occur to me that it may have fallen off (as it was loose) until after my husband dumped the water. I gently dried her off, and while doing so, noticed what looked like a feather from the outside going INTO her vent. I tried to pull at it gently, but it didn't come out easily, and I was afraid of pulling something back out. (You MAY be able to see what I'm referring to in the most recent picture below. The feather in my fingers is the one that is also inside.) So, I left it. I slathered raw honey on her vent, and put her in my dark laundry room for the night. Tomorrow I will move her to a dog crate outside, and give her some ACV in her water (That always does wonders for me with fragile or sickly quail)

I did not do an exam, but I felt her belly, and because she was recently in a very long broody stage (over 60 days...on an empty nest in my dark compost bin, I might add) she lost a lot of weight, and I'm pretty sure there's no egg. But not positive. Since she wasn't eating while broody for so long - she probably was not getting much calcium. I'll get her some extra calcium.

Thanks for the tips and all the information Casportpony! You've been very helpful!

Looks much better, eh? Hope it stays that way:

 

[casportpony]

I think you're off to a great start, but beware, I've seen broody behavior in hens that were egg bound. They'll just sit on a nest while the eggs back up and fester. I hope this is not the case with your hen.

Now is probably a good time to get a baseline weight on her. If she has a stuck egg that's been there awhile, she'll probably continue to lose weight.

Please, please, please, do the exam! If nothing else, you'll start to learn what the inside should or shouldn't feel like.

 

[casportpony]

And yes, she does look better!

 

[MamaManda]

Update - The bulge is back out this morning. Situation looks worse than yesterday now. I bathed her again, but when I was drying her off, I inspected the area, trying to get the stuck on feather out. when I pull at it very gently, she bears down, pushing out another big bulge of flesh, but nothing comes out. I am going to do the internal exam, but I have to go get supplies. I have gloves, but they aren't in a box, so I don't think they're sterile. (I usually use them for cleaning) and I don't have K-Y. Anything else I may need before I head out in the next hour or so? Going to get her a calcium supplement - Is offering oyster shell going to be enough? I've been reading some people give an oral dose in situations like this?

 

[casportpony]

You need to give a calcium pill or liquid calcium, oyster shell isn't going to help! My smallest hens get 500mg and my turkey get 2000mg.

 

[MamaManda]

Ok, had to wait for husband to get home this evening so someone could hold her for the exam. He felt inside and thinks there may be a broken egg? She's trying to pass something, but it doesn't feel hard and intact like an egg. Do we try to help her expell it? She is now leaning her tail toward the ground, bringing her head up vertically to her tail and making a higher pitched squawk than usual. We're still gloved up, what do we do??

 

[casportpony]

Can you find the opening to the uterus?

 

[casportpony]

Forgot to ask, does her belly feel larger and squishy, like a water balloon?

 

[MamaManda]

Nevermind, he feels an egg now. It's just a lot higher than he went in originally. Then he thought he could feel something that would move from the outside, went back in and says he's almost positive it's an egg. (Says he's positive, unless it could be something else he's not aware of.)

 

[casportpony]

Nevermind, he feels an egg now. It's just a lot higher than he went in originally. Then he thought he could feel something that would move from the outside, went back in and says he's almost positive it's an egg. (Says he's positive, unless it could be something else he's not aware of.)

He should be able to find the opening and feel the actual shell (someone once described it a like a third eyelid if that makes sense). How much calcium did you give her and when was her last warm bath?