egg bound? photos

[TXchick]

I have a three year old Americana hen who is walking like duck and is kind of hunched over. I thought she might be egg bound and went out to check her out and she popped out a very tiny egg. I hoped she would feel better imediately but no such luck. She is eating and hanging out with the others but she is obviously uncomfortable. This photo is how she looked just before the small egg came out. It was about the size of a quarter. She still looks like this. Her "bottom" might seem a little fuller than the other girls. i don't feel anything hard in there by just gently squeezing. I haven't put a finger in the vent yet. Can she still be bound even if she had a small egg come out?

 

[CityClucks]

Wow TXchick - I don't know if she still might be egg bound, but I think if you treated her as if she were, it wouldn't hurt anything. Have you searched on this site to find out what people recommend to do for an egg-bound hen?

BTW she's very pretty! Poor girl - sure looks uncomfortable!

 

[chickenhick]

I would soak her butt in warm water and keep her in a dark place alone so she won't produce any more eggs. Examine her vent for irritation. The warm water bath really helps. Good luck.

 

[TXchick]

thanks. I will try the dark space idea. I gave two warm butt baths yesterday. She is the most tame of all so she didn't complain. I also checked her vent with a finger (gloved and lubed) but I didn't go in very far and I didn't feel anything. She is still eating this morning but is squating down while she eats. I'll do another bath. By the way, she is still pooping and it looks okay. Not completely normal but not diarrhea. That's good right???? There are solid bits. sorry so gross but I take this as a good sign.

 

[jjthink]

If she is eggbound and this goes on too long without relief she will die.

Some folks give a Tums as a sort of emergency calcium boost - you can try that. I'd crush it in a bit of water and administer via a dropper very slowly and carefully along her beak line so she can swallow on her own and not choke. Does she have oyster shell available at all times? I'd also boost her nutrition (e.g. a bit of Avia Charge 2000 in her water each day).

Not sure how long she's been like that but if at all possible I'd get her vet treatment if situation is not very quickly resolved. I lost the sweetest not even 2 year old hen to a heart attack that was only a few hours behind on her usual schedule of getting an egg out - did not even imagine it would be that dire that fast. She may have had a heart issue to begin with and its possible an extra large egg pushed her to the limit, I don't know.

JJ

 

[caralouise1974]

Oh the poor darling, she looks really miserable. Bless her.

Personally, I would take her straight to a vet now - after 24 hours of feeling like that, the situation could now be very serious for her.

I almost lost our bluebelle to egg binding a few weeks ago, and it was only because our vet massaged her tummy and vent and got her to plop out two soft shelled eggs on the examination table that she made it - we took her to him within an hour of spotting something was wrong. (I don't think she would have made it through the night if we hadn't.)

If you cannot get to a vet immediately, you could try practising supportive therapy in the meantime, to help her get a little more comfortable and so that you can closely monitor her until the vet can see her.

Moody Chicken's website has an absolutely fabulous section about supportive therapy - http://sites.google.com/site/moodysbantams/poultry-health-1/supportive-therapy

 

[TXchick]

thank you both for your replies. I crushed two tums and put it in with some bread and milk. She ate it all up. She is still eating and pooping which is confusing to me. I am wondering if it could be something else. I also just did another warm bath. While she was in the bath, I "went in" again with my finger and I feel nothing but squishiness. I also kind of gently squeezed/massaged her bottom. I have not idea what to feel for. if it is egg binding would the egg be right there as you go in or could it be deeper? i just don't know chicken anatomy. Obviously I know there is a cavity there but I just don't know what I am supposed to feel for. I did not feel anything hard but i realize eggs can be soft.
I live in a rural area in Texas and I have had no luck finding a vet who will work on a chicken. The attitude is, "well, get another chicken..."
I might try the vet I take my dog and cats to again. he said no when I had a problem before but if she is going to die anyway, maybe he will check her out. He used to be a farm vet.
If not egg binding what could it be? The internal laying thing? Also, I broke the tiny egg she laid yesterday and instead of a yolk, it had a yolk colored stringy thing in with the white. Don't know what that means.
So in the mean time I have placed her in a "hospital" pen out of the wind where she can be quiet and not worry about the other girls. I'll update as I have new info.

 

[caralouise1974]

So good that she's eating and pooping fine - that's a great sign. If she was egg bound, she would probably have some problems with poop, as the stuck egg would tend to (to a lesser or greater degree, depending on how close it was to the vent) block the passage of faeces. (Our poor Bella made one hell of a mess on our vet's table when she finally emptied herself of the stuck soft shelled eggs that were bunging her up!) It does sound like, even if there is a soft shelled egg in there, it isn't near the vent, or you would probably have felt it with your finger.

And yes, internal laying is also a possibility, and can cause the hen to suffer the same symptoms as a case of egg binding would. The odd egg you described from yesterday could be suggestive of some weird laying stuff going on inside her, sure. (Internal laying can be a chronic condition which some hens live with for a while - it doesn't always have to be an acute emergency, as really, once the egg is inside the abdomen, there's not a lot the vet can do to reverse that state of affairs. In this case though, she does look quite poorly, in an acute sense, so the vet is IMO a definite option.)

It's very difficult to say in this case - the fact that she's hanging out with the other birds, and eating and pooping fine is throwing me a little - they do tend to go downhill quite fast and stop eating and being active if they are egg bound, I can vouch for that. You probably do need to persuade that vet to see her, if you possibly can, to get a proper diagnosis.

Very best of luck - she's a beautiful girl and I do hope she's well again soon. Keep us informed of her progress...

 

[TXchick]

I managed to speak with an Avian vet over the phone. She is not local but said (like you did) that her eating and pooping and drinking and the fact that she is still with us are all very positive signs. She said the calcium can't hurt, nor can the warm baths. She said the main thing is to keep her warm and humidity might help in the event there is an egg she is trying to pass. I agree and so did this vet that if I first noticed this issue Tuesday night and it was one of these awful egg issues, she would be either dead or on her death bed. She said egg bound birds are usually fluffed up and won't eat or drink. She also mentioned a possible injury to nerves in the legs or something like that related to straining to get that little egg out.
Anyway, I have her in her quiet place but she would rather be with the girls. She is still eating and bright-eyed and vocal when i go out to check on her. but still standing and walking funny. Tis a mystery. i will keep you posted.

 

[TXchick]

I should add that I feel guilty about not taking her to a vet but I am afraid it simply isn't an option. I am going to have to do the best I can for her myself. It may work out. The girls got foul pox this past fall and I was positive I was going to loose one but separated her and gave lots of supportive care and she pulled through. We'll see.