Was our chicken egg bound?

[Burb Farmer]

Just yesterday around 430 pm I notice one of our hens laying down in the middle of our run with her feet curled and eyes tired. She had some white mucus discharge out of her back end. She was also tipping side to side and arching her back and neck. When I inspected her she seemed to have a lump underneath her tail on the left side. When she did try to make it to the coop she wobbled dragging her back end and I had to set her in the nesting box. She did not make it through the night. If it was an egg it would've been her first.
What else could've happened. Our two other hens seem healthy.

 

[loveourbirds]

from your description, im leaning towards egg bound. im guessing she had more than one egg inside, and one was broken.


it sometimes happens with the best of care, but here are a few ideas that may help you along:

-make sure there is free choice calcium, and plenty of sunlight

-if your feeding any black oil sunflower seeds she may have gotten a fat deposit next to the vent on the inside, stopping the egg.

-to much protein can lead to large eggs, causing the trouble. i find my chickens do best at about 16-17%

-watch for vent gleet, it sometimes causes it.

there is also a few other things you might want to research:
EYP
Egg Drop Syndrome

 

[Burb Farmer]

Thank you very much for your info.. fully appreciated. We will miss Midnight.
Up on calcium..down on protein.
Sun may be an issue living in Oregon, but they have a clear line when it's out.
Midnight, more than likely, was eyp.