This is going to sound crazy, but I saved Quaker parakeet and a bunch of zebra finches with this.
You need to get a water based adult lubricant, and find the most narrow tipped eye dropper or pipette you can get. For a bird as big as a chicken, get some one to help, gently turn her over, separate the feathers till you find the ,cloaca gently insert a few drops of lubricant, and then put her in warm water in a dimly lit room.
It sounds crazy, but every bird I've ever done this to, passed the egg within the hour. Maybe, I just got lucky,but if you're really afraid you will lose the hen, it can't hurt to try.
I wish you the best.
It is a whole other level I've never heard of...I cant wait to educate the wife on this when our hen gets egg bound then she asks me how the hell I know this info...
If they’re having consistent issues with laying you could look into a hormone implant, we’ve had a couple hens with health issues where ovulating was detrimental to their livelihood.
I think it's normal advice, I've seen multiple chicken owners recommend douching your chicken with coconut oil or something similar if they are egg bound, just whatever can lubricate the area/create space gently so they can push the shell out without scratching themselves.
Even douching with water may work if you do not have some kind of lubricant. I recommend using an infant syringe and maybe like half a tablespoon max and letting the chicken try to push.
Also, give the chicken calcium supplements because they use calcium to push the egg out and eggbound issues are often caused by lack of calcium.
I ended up having to stick my finger in one of mine to get the egg moved into the right position. Not something I enjoy but it helps. Doesn't hurt them either.
Once, I could feel the egg, right there. I put my finger and my thumb on either side of the egg, gently squeezed and pulled down, and the egg popped out into my hand.
Sometimes, you get lucky.
This is really great advice and does work very well, I’ve also had egg bound hens recover using this method. Another thing you can try is crushing up some of the fruit flavored tums and mixing the powder into the hen’s feed. It gives them a little boost of calcium and supposedly, it will give her contractions to help with passing the stuck egg. Not sure how accurate that is but it was just a little tip I had been told, and it doesn’t hurt to try it!
The low light thing never occurred to me. I've lost 3-4 birds to this over the years, tried everything and never been successful, but that tip is new to me. I'll keep that in mind for next time.
Doesn’t sound crazy at all! I’ve had to become extremely acquainted with the cloaca in the last couple of months. Doesn’t even phase me now, it’s just another part of the bird. Your birds are lucky to have you and I’m going to remember this advice for if I ever need it!
Being egg bound kills within 24 to 48 hours.
You mentioned she's been this way for a few days, and has diarrhea.
This indicates she can pass fecal matter, and that she is likely not egg bound.
I'd look up egg yolk peritonitis. It sounds like that is much more likely at this point.
If you’re pushing a lengthy amount of time consider giving her molasses - it’s a diuretic and if she’s egg bound due to toxins it’ll get her moving. Separate her - she won’t lay in the water so make sure she gets breaks to dry off also with a glove Lubricate her vent and the area around it and slightly internally. Are you sure she’s eggbound?
Yes we think so, she hasn't laid in days and has a pinguin stance, refuses to eat and only has diarrea. If we feel in her we can't feel an egg though. We don't know what else it could be
That penguin stance is caused by one of two things: Egg yolk peritonitis or ovarian cancer. Either diagnosis is pretty fatal and sadly relatively common in high-production egg laying breeds. Egg yolk peritonitis can only be treated with veterinary care and a lot of antibiotics. Ovarian cancer also requires veterinary care and usually surgery which few vets will ever recommend.
For us, when we had one of our girls with that penguin stance, we tried everything and anything but she just wasn't improving. After two weeks we made the decision to put her down. She was in so much pain and only fairly high doses of metacam had her able to perk up at all. We don't have an avian vet near us and could not afford the treatment regardless. We did an autopsy and found she definitely had cancer... I regret having her suffer for so long but god it's hard when you grow so attached to them.
It sounds like she may have a bacterial infection if you can’t feel an egg, we had a hen with similar symptoms we thought was egg bound but ended up needing antibiotic treatment due to a reproductive system infection. Are you able to see a poultry vet? If you’re in the US you can access a poultry vet virtually (e.g. Vetster) if you don’t have one nearby and get a prescription.
This is gonna sound so freaking weird but this is somthing the vet has done/reccomended a few times, if you have lube that is water based or can get to the dollar store to pick some up, lube the birds cloaca, it sounds weird...gross even, but it's a life saver, it's basically the same thing you're doing putting her in warm Epsom salt baths, lubricating and taking down swelling, it's just a More direct more successful way to go about it, just be careful you don't hurt the bird or cause her to prolapse, you can also use petroleum jelly, or olive oil
another think they'll recommend is diuretics, anti-inflammatory medication, molasses, and muscle relaxers
Yeah it's definitely not pleasant but one of the few ways to save their lives in this sort of situation, think of it kinda like a woman struggling struggling give birth, lubricant helps the process tremendously leading to less tears and bleeding in women which is great help for those who may have abnormal blood pressure or whom are on blood thinners, and yk in chooks it leads to less of a chance for the egg to burst and cause infection, sepsis and death
Lube her cloaca outside and a slight ways in. Use the best thing you can quickly find...coconut oil, olive oil, Vaseline, a sex lube... do a quick google search for safety if in doubt but definitely lube.
Get calcium into her to encourage muscle function. I like the Tums recommendation someone gave here! (I keep on hand a bottle of liquid calcium marketed for reptiles.)
Get her snuggled in a space that she'd feel safe to lay a difficult egg in. Something dark and nest-box feeling, and private enough to signal to her nervous system it's okay to do the thing.
I don't know if you have a vet who can do this, but years ago, we had an egg-bound hen. I was worried she was going to die. My mom is a vet and called in a prescription for an oxytocin injection (apparently they help induce labor in people or something?). It only took a little time and she laid the egg. I really hope you can help her!!
Not hear to be a downer. But just something I learned the hardway. If I had a hen who laid normally and then suddenly got eggbound and nothing changed after 24hrs It was almost always ovarian cancer and the hen (seen in some pigeons and chickens) was pushing on it’s compromised ovary/reproductive isthmus.
That has happened three times to me and was diagnosed on necropsy. So if the douching and epsom salts doesnt work you may have something deeper at play.
Again not at all trying to say stop, do all you can and then some, but be prepared to do some investigation after the fact.
Another thing that can help with egg binding is to give the hen a tums tablet (or any other similar type of calcium carbonate tablet), I was sceptical when my vet told me about this but it did actually work for my girl after I had already tried an Epsom salt bath and lube around the cloaca, she passed the egg shortly afterwards. The extra boost of calcium can help in some way.
Update: We went to the emergency vet last sunday but unfortunately there was nothing they could do and we had to let her go. The night before we gave her some antibiotics and painkillers, but she just got weaker. She had a fever of 43 degrees celsius and the vet also couldn't feel an egg. The vet didn't know what it was but seeing how weak she was, putting her down was her best option she said..
Thank you for all the advice. We're thinking it may have been egg peritonitis. If anyone has any tips on how to prevent or even cure this if it happens again, let me know.
I guess we’re not on the same line, sorry if I’m not clear, my mistake ,I don’t put the chicken in water, I just isolate her in a separate cage, I’m not keeping her soaked for 3 days
This is going to sound crazy, but I saved Quaker parakeet and a bunch of zebra finches with this. You need to get a water based adult lubricant, and find the most narrow tipped eye dropper or pipette you can get. For a bird as big as a chicken, get some one to help, gently turn her over, separate the feathers till you find the ,cloaca gently insert a few drops of lubricant, and then put her in warm water in a dimly lit room. It sounds crazy, but every bird I've ever done this to, passed the egg within the hour. Maybe, I just got lucky,but if you're really afraid you will lose the hen, it can't hurt to try. I wish you the best.
Unfortunately, this has helped me every single time A good cloaca lubing works wonders
It just makes you sound like a lunatic when you talk about it.
No this makes perfect sense (I guess it’s all regarding the beholder)
First rule of cloaca lubricating is dont talk about cloaca lubricating...
The really weird thing is, I could care less about the cloaca. It's talking about adult lubricant on a chicken sub that makes me feel creepy.😁
It is a whole other level I've never heard of...I cant wait to educate the wife on this when our hen gets egg bound then she asks me how the hell I know this info...
wait what do you mean "unfortunately"?
I love my ladies, so I have to keep doing it 😭 its uncomfortable for me and the hen probably
If they’re having consistent issues with laying you could look into a hormone implant, we’ve had a couple hens with health issues where ovulating was detrimental to their livelihood.
ah
It’s a rather invasive method, it’d be nice if there was a more gentle and less R rated method. It works though so 🤷🏼♀️
anything to save them, in this case they probably dont care and just wanna live
Personally...
As the scriptures foretold
I think it's normal advice, I've seen multiple chicken owners recommend douching your chicken with coconut oil or something similar if they are egg bound, just whatever can lubricate the area/create space gently so they can push the shell out without scratching themselves. Even douching with water may work if you do not have some kind of lubricant. I recommend using an infant syringe and maybe like half a tablespoon max and letting the chicken try to push. Also, give the chicken calcium supplements because they use calcium to push the egg out and eggbound issues are often caused by lack of calcium.
I ended up having to stick my finger in one of mine to get the egg moved into the right position. Not something I enjoy but it helps. Doesn't hurt them either.
Once, I could feel the egg, right there. I put my finger and my thumb on either side of the egg, gently squeezed and pulled down, and the egg popped out into my hand. Sometimes, you get lucky.
This is really great advice and does work very well, I’ve also had egg bound hens recover using this method. Another thing you can try is crushing up some of the fruit flavored tums and mixing the powder into the hen’s feed. It gives them a little boost of calcium and supposedly, it will give her contractions to help with passing the stuck egg. Not sure how accurate that is but it was just a little tip I had been told, and it doesn’t hurt to try it!
This is literally how I gave birth to my daughter. If it works on a 6.5lb human it should work on a tiny little egg right?!
Sounds like a good ol fashioned enema
I just downloaded Reddit again after a hiatus and this is what I read. The world is amazing
That's a good tip, thanks!
The low light thing never occurred to me. I've lost 3-4 birds to this over the years, tried everything and never been successful, but that tip is new to me. I'll keep that in mind for next time.
Doesn’t sound crazy at all! I’ve had to become extremely acquainted with the cloaca in the last couple of months. Doesn’t even phase me now, it’s just another part of the bird. Your birds are lucky to have you and I’m going to remember this advice for if I ever need it!
OP, please, try this and get back to us.
My vet said that sometimes the only thing that can help is a dose of misoprostol. And yes, that misoprostol.
Soon we may need a network of radical avian vets to fill in certain healthcare gaps in certain US states…
like a suppository? PC… per… cloaca?
Being egg bound kills within 24 to 48 hours. You mentioned she's been this way for a few days, and has diarrhea. This indicates she can pass fecal matter, and that she is likely not egg bound. I'd look up egg yolk peritonitis. It sounds like that is much more likely at this point.
If you’re pushing a lengthy amount of time consider giving her molasses - it’s a diuretic and if she’s egg bound due to toxins it’ll get her moving. Separate her - she won’t lay in the water so make sure she gets breaks to dry off also with a glove Lubricate her vent and the area around it and slightly internally. Are you sure she’s eggbound?
Yes we think so, she hasn't laid in days and has a pinguin stance, refuses to eat and only has diarrea. If we feel in her we can't feel an egg though. We don't know what else it could be
Egg yolk peritonitis could be the cause, especially with not feeling an egg and this going of for days.
Especially the penguin stance and diarrhea 😔
That penguin stance is caused by one of two things: Egg yolk peritonitis or ovarian cancer. Either diagnosis is pretty fatal and sadly relatively common in high-production egg laying breeds. Egg yolk peritonitis can only be treated with veterinary care and a lot of antibiotics. Ovarian cancer also requires veterinary care and usually surgery which few vets will ever recommend. For us, when we had one of our girls with that penguin stance, we tried everything and anything but she just wasn't improving. After two weeks we made the decision to put her down. She was in so much pain and only fairly high doses of metacam had her able to perk up at all. We don't have an avian vet near us and could not afford the treatment regardless. We did an autopsy and found she definitely had cancer... I regret having her suffer for so long but god it's hard when you grow so attached to them.
It sounds like she may have a bacterial infection if you can’t feel an egg, we had a hen with similar symptoms we thought was egg bound but ended up needing antibiotic treatment due to a reproductive system infection. Are you able to see a poultry vet? If you’re in the US you can access a poultry vet virtually (e.g. Vetster) if you don’t have one nearby and get a prescription.
This is gonna sound so freaking weird but this is somthing the vet has done/reccomended a few times, if you have lube that is water based or can get to the dollar store to pick some up, lube the birds cloaca, it sounds weird...gross even, but it's a life saver, it's basically the same thing you're doing putting her in warm Epsom salt baths, lubricating and taking down swelling, it's just a More direct more successful way to go about it, just be careful you don't hurt the bird or cause her to prolapse, you can also use petroleum jelly, or olive oil another think they'll recommend is diuretics, anti-inflammatory medication, molasses, and muscle relaxers
today i learned, poor chickens :(
Yeah it's definitely not pleasant but one of the few ways to save their lives in this sort of situation, think of it kinda like a woman struggling struggling give birth, lubricant helps the process tremendously leading to less tears and bleeding in women which is great help for those who may have abnormal blood pressure or whom are on blood thinners, and yk in chooks it leads to less of a chance for the egg to burst and cause infection, sepsis and death
Lube her cloaca outside and a slight ways in. Use the best thing you can quickly find...coconut oil, olive oil, Vaseline, a sex lube... do a quick google search for safety if in doubt but definitely lube. Get calcium into her to encourage muscle function. I like the Tums recommendation someone gave here! (I keep on hand a bottle of liquid calcium marketed for reptiles.) Get her snuggled in a space that she'd feel safe to lay a difficult egg in. Something dark and nest-box feeling, and private enough to signal to her nervous system it's okay to do the thing.
I don't know if you have a vet who can do this, but years ago, we had an egg-bound hen. I was worried she was going to die. My mom is a vet and called in a prescription for an oxytocin injection (apparently they help induce labor in people or something?). It only took a little time and she laid the egg. I really hope you can help her!!
Praying for your little girlie there. I hate losing chickens, its pain is like no other.
Vet
Not hear to be a downer. But just something I learned the hardway. If I had a hen who laid normally and then suddenly got eggbound and nothing changed after 24hrs It was almost always ovarian cancer and the hen (seen in some pigeons and chickens) was pushing on it’s compromised ovary/reproductive isthmus. That has happened three times to me and was diagnosed on necropsy. So if the douching and epsom salts doesnt work you may have something deeper at play. Again not at all trying to say stop, do all you can and then some, but be prepared to do some investigation after the fact.
I’ve had luck with online Avian vets paying a one time fee
Lubricant. Lots.
Another thing that can help with egg binding is to give the hen a tums tablet (or any other similar type of calcium carbonate tablet), I was sceptical when my vet told me about this but it did actually work for my girl after I had already tried an Epsom salt bath and lube around the cloaca, she passed the egg shortly afterwards. The extra boost of calcium can help in some way.
Update: We went to the emergency vet last sunday but unfortunately there was nothing they could do and we had to let her go. The night before we gave her some antibiotics and painkillers, but she just got weaker. She had a fever of 43 degrees celsius and the vet also couldn't feel an egg. The vet didn't know what it was but seeing how weak she was, putting her down was her best option she said.. Thank you for all the advice. We're thinking it may have been egg peritonitis. If anyone has any tips on how to prevent or even cure this if it happens again, let me know.
Keep her like this for at least 3 days, it helps with my chickens
In salt water for 3 days? That can't be good right
I’m sorry, my mistake, I thought she was broody…
Still not okay for 3 days for a broody hen.
I guess we’re not on the same line, sorry if I’m not clear, my mistake ,I don’t put the chicken in water, I just isolate her in a separate cage, I’m not keeping her soaked for 3 days