eggbound??-help

[jimred]

how do you tell if shes egg bound, she was fine this morning feeding etc,this evening all hunched up,not feeding,but still nice bright comb.

where the egg come out (technical term!) is pulsing, but cant feel any egg!

She is a strange girl(Lemon Sablepoot) born Christmas day 2008 and never laid a egg since we have had her (August 2009)

What do you think?

Thanks

[RichmondHens]

I'm rather surprised she has not laid a single egg even though she is well over a year old. I suspect there may be more to it than just simply being egg bound. A physical defect internally perhaps? Jennie and Mike at Bramble Poultry I think have sablepoots so may be able to advise more.

[mr darcy]

just in case you could try the warm bath method, it saved my Scarlet's life, but you'd have to keep her in a hay box in your bathroom or somewhere warm for the night as it's sooo cold.

[jimred]

Update:I put her in one of the nest boxes and have just checked her and she has laid a Shell-less egg

She may well of laid a egg, but i have never seen her in a nest box or clucking after egg laying

[frias]

She might need some more calcium if she's laying softies. My older ex-batts lay these but they are all laid out and your girl is only young. She'll probably be back to normal tomorrow but if you think there's some egg left inside her or she still has her head tucked in or her tail down, as mr d says she might benefit from a warm bath. Fill a washing up bowl with warm water and keep pushing her bum down so the vent is in the water. It seems to make it pulse more and helps the hen to pass the soft egg.

[mr darcy]

She might need some more calcium if she's laying softies. My older ex-batts lay these but they are all laid out and your girl is only young. She'll probably be back to normal tomorrow but if you think there's some egg left inside her or she still has her head tucked in or her tail down, as mr d says she might benefit from a warm bath. Fill a washing up bowl with warm water and keep pushing her bum down so the vent is in the water. It seems to make it pulse more and helps the hen to pass the soft egg.

i also splashed scarlets vent with really warm water whilst she sat in our bath and put a tiny bit of vaseline round the vent, all this should be done in a warm room then either gently towell dry or hairdry her frilly knickers feathers,keep her warm in a quiet place for a few hours untill she's passed egg and is dry, (cold and wet equals stressed and tense will hold egg)

[jimred]

Many Thanks

[mr darcy]

any change today?

[jimred]

well, she was alright this morning feeding etc but when i returned from work she was all hunched up again.
i gave her a warm bath and noticed half out of her vent was a long egg/membrane thingy, i gave it a light tug and it came out.

i wrapped her in a towel but her on the chair for a snooze in front of the fire and gave her a few drops of Nutri drops

10 minutes later she was up and running again feeding on a large sweetcorn and mealworms,not a 100% but better.
thanks

any change today?

[mr darcy]

sorry i missed this!! glad she's ok, must have been another soft egg? perhaps someone more expert here can advise? really hope she's sorts out the eggs soon, I think you'll have to keep a close eye on things, and the calcium in her diet?

[jimred]

she fine, back to normal, she is out in the garden all day, so she should find plenty of grit etc to eat, plus i have oyster shell and fine grit in the coop.

sorry i missed this!! glad she's ok, must have been another soft egg? perhaps someone more expert here can advise? really hope she's sorts out the eggs soon, I think you'll have to keep a close eye on things, and the calcium in her diet?