The Poultry Keeper The Independent Forum for Poultry Keepers    FAQ   Search     Register   Log in  Possibly egg bound?....          The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Poultry Clinic Author Message blackvelvetydog Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 28 Location: BEDFORDSHIRE Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:33 pm    Post subject: Possibly egg bound?.... Have been looking back through old clinic queries and found a problem that could be relevant with a helpful link which i can't get to! Anyway, noticed yesterday evening that Gloria had pooey bloomers... thats the medical term!!.... just normal coloured poo, so i thought that perhaps she had just been slightly messy. but checked her this morning on letting her out and there was something hanging out of her vent. It looks like the membrane from inside an egg, is about an inch long..... what happens next??? have looked through several books but cant find anything. can anyone help please? Back to top Lisa Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 3237 Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:41 pm    Post subject: Was that a link to PP about being egg bound? Give me a mo - I think I saved the info somewhere.... edited to add: here we go! Quote: Egg bound hens A hen is said to be egg bound when she fails to lay her egg This is a common condition, and may result from inflammation of the oviduct, malformed or double yolker egg, or a too large egg in a young pullet The bird seems very restless She will drink little and eat little She will tend to stand all hunched up She visits the nest regularly in an attempt to lay her egg Hew oviduct may end up protrude due to excessive pushing by her to eject the egg; internal haemorrhage or exhaustion may occur and the fowl may die She may smell badly Her vent will look quite red and protrude She may have faecal matter that has built up behind the egg, if you see white liquid that will be her urates trying to pass (urine in chickens) Sit her in a tub of warm soapy water Make sure the vent is submerged for about 30 minutes, this may seem like a long time, but you have to relax the vent area and make is subtle for the egg to pass through, it really does help the hen, 85% of the time this will be all that you will need to do for her and the egg will pass out with a little push from her You can rub some lubricant around the vent area if you think that may help too, KY jelly, petroleum jelly, Vaseline or Olive Oil all work fine. Make sure you isolate her from the other hens, or they will peck at her vent causing more damage Put her into an isolation cage, put plenty of news paper down first and then put heated towels down they will act like a heat pad for her, no drafts when she is wet or she will catch a chill You can heat up towels in your microwave, works a treat If you have a heat pad that would be even better, put plenty of towels over it or it will get messy Leave her for a little while to see if she passes the egg, if not, repeat the warm water and soap again Some people just use the heating pads, this sometimes seems to relax the muscles and allow the egg to slip out If this doesn’t work, you may have to resort to removing the egg manually, not a nice task, and she will complain about what you are doing bitterly, you will need two people to do this task Using KY jelly, Petroleum jelly or Vaseline, insert your finger in the vent With your other hand you can press gently on her abdomen moving the egg down the oviduct towards the cloaca Once you can see the egg, if it won’t pass, then rupture the egg and gently remove all the shell Some have suggested you use a sharp instrument, I would not recommend this at all it could result in causing the hen internal injuries The shell of the egg will be very sharp when broken and could also damage the chicken internally Once you have broken the shell, make sure you remove every particle carefully The cloaca should then be washed with a weak warm water/salt solution, this is to make sure all the egg contents and shell has been removed from inside the hen, if it isn’t it could cause bacteria to start growing inside her, and then you’ve got an even bigger problem to solve Once the egg has ejected you will want to keep an eye on her for a while There may be another egg backed up in her oviduct system, especially if she lays an egg every day or every other day Sometimes they absorb the egg, but this is very unlikely and very unusual If you can’t find the egg and it has gone from the hen, more than likely she has eaten it shell and all If it has ruptured inside her, you should look for small pieces of shell, or evidence of any cuts around the vent area Just remember while your looking and sticking your finger in places she would prefer you didn’t, the egg shells can be quite sharp and may cut you and her If you do find any cuts around her cloaca, rinse with hydrogen peroxide Watch her for listlessness, dull eyes, and signs of fever Infection can come on pretty quick Keep a close eye on her, this could happen again to her and she will need immediate action to fix the problem How to help prevent the hen from laying any more eggs If there is any small prolapse gently push it back into the chicken with your fingers. The chicken should then be put on a maintenance diet of wheat and water and put in a dark cage. Leave the hen there for a week. However, it is important to restrict the chickens diet to maintenance only for possibly a couple of months. This does work!! Alternative to maintenance diet is feeding the chicken enough to keep it alive, moving and keeping warm plus enough extra feed for it to produce eggs. You may find that by reducing the feed it brings on a forced molt By reducing feed intake so that the bird has just enough feed to keep it alive, moving and keeping warm you are feeding for maintenance only. The chicken will not lay eggs and so give it the best chance of recovery. Sandy Does that help / sound like what's happening with your hen? Back to top blackvelvetydog Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 28 Location: BEDFORDSHIRE Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:01 pm    Post subject: wow.... that was efficient of you!!...someone is going to look at her tomorrow morning for me if she still doesn't look any better. But what is hanging out did look like some kind of membrane, almost like thin paper, and there are no cuts from any broken shell.... so i am still not sure! Back to top Lisa Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 3237 Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:14 pm    Post subject: Hmmm... not sure either. Not experienced it myself (or rather, with my chooks!) Could it be the remains of a broken egg? Or just the membrane from an egg?? Hopefully someone will be along in a mo that can speak from actual experience. Back to top milkmaid Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7370 Location: isle of lewis Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:20 pm    Post subject: yes lisa it works mine had 1/2 an hour in the bathfollowed by turning her bum towards the vent on hot on the tumble drier not to close os that it was warm she layed the egg in the small wire cage she was in ,this was last year and she's back with the others laying suz Back to top NannyP Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 11590 Location: 86310 Nr St Savin Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:19 pm    Post subject: Excellent instructions, and good to hear that they work. Good Luck BVD with your hen Back to top blackvelvetydog Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 28 Location: BEDFORDSHIRE Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:37 am    Post subject: cheers you guys.... i'll give it a go tomorrow! can't think of a better way to spend an evening!!! lol Back to top CP Moderator Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 16119 Location: Hampshire Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:09 am    Post subject: In one of our very old books there is a picture of a hen's rear end being held near the fire, so it seems warmth is the key to passing an egg that's stuck. Possibly easier to do the warm bath method rather than holding in front of a fire - less chance of singed feathers too! Good luck with her & tell us how you get on. Back to top summayah Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:23 am    Post subject: I had a young girl who had a prolapse ~ as she passed an egg the wrong way ~ width ways and not pointy ways. The egg was hanging out of her and I took her to the vet ~ left her with him and he got the egg out, but sadly she had another prolapse thenext day just pooing ~ and that looked like the lining from and egg, but it was in fact the hen's lining to the duct. I really hope you manage to get your girl sorted out, please keep us updated on her Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First         The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Poultry Clinic All times are GMT + 1 Hour Page 1 of 1 Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group