[Porffor]

Can you feel an egg???

 if you go from bottom down towards her legs with your hand, if she is egg bound you should be able to feel it???

Is she carrying on as normal otherwise

Yes.. this is what we've been feeling last night. She definately looked like she was pushing last night..

She's been 'off colour' for a couple of weeks but didn't realise she was egg bound. She has lost weight and is kind of hunched most of the time recently.

[Theresia]

I have heard of using a hot water bottle covered in a towel, for them to sit on relax mucles. Or in a bowl of warm water not over a pan of steaming water?
Try giveing her a boiled egg mashed up shell as well to build her back up .
When was she last wormed? can be a sign of weight loss.

[Vember]

I doubt very much that she's been egg bound for a couple of weeks though :?

Are you able to guide the egg gentley towards her bottom?

Have you tried the extra calcium that I think it was Foxy suggested??

I have to admitt with Crumb I did give her a 1/4 of a humans calcium tablet at one stage when she was egg bound, don't know if it helped or if it was the oil??? But egg did come out

Oh poop wish there was more I could do

[Foxy]

oh dear, has she still not laid porffor?  She may have eggs backing up now as well as poo. You could also give a quarter tablet of dispersible aspirin if you have any laying around,tjhis will help with any swelling and soreness. You can give a poultry calcium supplement like "calcivet" or 1 -2cc of liqud calcium from your pharmacist.
I think at this stage if the egg doesn't come out soon you may lose her. Maybe time to take her to the vet ?Maybe you could if very careful break the egg and take it out as long as every peice comes out otherwise any remaining could cause an infection,but to be honest that is very much a last resort.
Give giving her fliuds -syringe if you have to very important that she keeps drinking and hydrated.
Best of luck, will keep fingers crossed she produces an egg pretty soon!

[Porffor]

Thanks all. Gave the limestone, will try and aspirin and water of course, she's cold again now so will use our wheat pad again (wrapped it in a bag after heating it and put it under straw in a box to warm her last night.
I can definately feel 'something' low down now - as of last night but no egg yet.

I have no access to chicken 'stuff' locally other than feed to be honest our feed store is limited.

Worming - i am waiting for a delivery of flubavent or whatever it's called.

I am fearing the worst with her but want to try and help her of course.
She's never been a regular layer so it was so hard to tell if she was just not laying or what.

Thanks so much all.

[Porffor]

ok chook has had a bath.. should i feel 'anything' at her vent end? she's skin and bone under her breast - by breast bone then when i get to her lower end she's bumpy - firm but squidgy if you know what i mean.

Without sounding horrible i've put a finger indside her, but have no idea what i'm feeling for if i'm honest, whatever is there isn't shell like. So am wondering if she's got egg membrane type things in there? does feel like there could be more than one if that's the case.

Really feel truly useless. Is there anything I can do to widen her vent? i know this sounds awful but i can't think how else I can actually see what is going on.

[Vember]

It could be a soft shelled egg, these really seem to drain the hen completley

When was the last time you Oiled her?? might be worth doin it again:?

There could possibley be more than one, can you not kinda gently push the lump towards her bum  :?

[Porffor]

I oiled her last night this morning and just after the bath..

She really flinches - given that she has no energy otherwise - if i try to massage the lumps 'up'... i'll try again, but have oiled her - there seems to be a hole inside her if you know what i mean, if i put a finger in her vent, it's like a cavity then another hole.. is this the right hole? i know both egg and waste come to the vent but not sure where to feel to get into the egg channel.

[Vember]

Think it's a case of normally when people do the deed with finger the egg is normally quite near so they can feel it  :oops:  Sounds terrible but you know what i mean.

I know the cavity you mention as I had Mo very under the weather a few weeks ago and thought she was egg bound and I felt the Hole you refer to. So at least you know that's normal

I think the only other thing I can suggest is keep her well hydrated and warm

[Porffor]

Thanks Vember.. just found this on the net also -

The vent is a common opening for both egg laying and waste elimination, but a chicken cannot perform both functions at the same time. An internal flap known as a cloaca keeps the vaginal canal and the intestinal track separate until either an egg or excrement reach the vent. When a chicken is laying an egg, the cloaca descends and blocks the intestinal track.

Once the egg passes the cloaca, it is carefully expelled through a series of muscular contractions which essentially turn the vaginal canal and cloaca inside out at one point. Eventually the egg is pushed out through the vent and ideally lands intact on the ground.

Guess that's the technical name for the hole i'm feeling.. and it's safe to go into it? will have another feel and push the lumps up on the off chance i can feel something or open it a bit from the inside.

Poor chook.. I could never be a Dr I tell ya!  :oops:

[Porffor]

Oh and i've forced down some water and aspirin so hopefully that'll help.

[Vember]

Oh and i've forced down some water and aspirin so hopefully that'll help.

Hope it does

Just keep tellin her to push etc....

[Porffor]

I honestly don't think she's got the energy now though. She's just flopping to the side and I found her just now lying forward like she fell there with her head down.. am really wondering if I need to read up more on dispatching her kindly.

[Theresia]

If you gave her a full asprin it could knock her out, try letting her sleep through it. Place her as she would sit on a nest and prop something under her beak to keep her head up.
She may pass away in her sleep or wake up feeling better give her a hour at least.
thinking of you.

[Vember]

Oh Dear really really sorry Porffor  :cry: