What causes a hen to become egg bound?

[coffeelady3]

I've seen a whole lotta posts giving advice on how to treat an egg bound hen, but I'm wondering if anybody has a clue as to what causes it to happen. Is is diet related, or just a fluke of nature?

 

[cjeanean]

That's a really good question, I'm wondering the same thing!

 

[d.k]

* I kinda thought it was production breed/frenetic laying related, like maybe scar tissue build-up from so many eggs?? Or, possibly viral, like a staph thing. Not sure, though. . . . .

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I'm starting to wonder if temp. has anything to do with, seems like a lot of posts lately when it's started to get really hot out in some places.
My neighbor down the road who has raised chickens for over 30 years and at once point had over 400 on his farm, asked me if my egg supply had dipped like his lately from the heat. Makes me wonder if there is any relation, and yes I was getting only like one egg per day until we got two pretty breezy days yesterday and the day before from storms passing through and sure enough yesterday I had 4 eggs out in the coop.

 

[angels4]

I never had an experience with an egg bound hen, but I've read that it is often caused by too many treats, as the girls get too fat....and sometimes the egg is just too large to be passed. I guess similar to when a human is constipated<sp>?!?! I'm sure someone with more experience will be along shortly.

 

[Lovemesomechicks]

I just asked someone at my local feed store the same thing yesterday, as I had a girl (Americauna) die on Thursday from what I believe was being eggbound, she had only laid one egg before then on Tuesday, and was acting like she was going to lay another, but died later that evening.


The woman at the feed store said overweight chickens are at risk, but she said they would be pretty overweight .


I don't know how overweight my girl was, but I do give them all a lot of treats, probably more than I should....