Just had my first egg bound Hen

I went out to check on my new pidgie babys and i noticed my Lemon Blue hen had white poo all down her rear. I had seen her walking a little funny last 2 days and most hens do this when they are about to lay. But not like that i took her out and if you knew this hen she's not bigger than a minute. I felt of her underside and there was the biggest egg i had ever felt it had to be medium sized.
My first thought i can help her out i had done this plenty of times with pullets just coming in to laying a little mineral oil and out they pop.
NO WAY! i gently pushed it to her vent and there was no way it was coming out without doing some damage. I thought well i'll bust it and remove the contents NOPE it was hard as a rock and wouldn't bust i told the hen bare with me.
So i took and moved it till i could feel just the tip of the egg and i punctured it with my nail i crushed the shell and squeezed out the contents pulling out what i could and then reached in with a finger and eased out the shell. That hen looked so relieved to have it over with "PHEW" and so was i she didn't have any damage so i cleaned her up and put her back in her cage. Thats learning how to do something real quick nothing like on the job training LOL

Here she is last fall with her rooster

Whew! I think I would have been holding my breath the whole time. I'm glad that she's doing well now.

Oh my Harmony I just am in awe of you....
Oh and I ment to say they are some pretty birds..

(Edited to insert the comment, I was just in awe of what Harmony did I hit enter before I knew it.)

This message was edited Mar 4, 2009 3:10 PM

Wow Harm: I was holding my breath just reading about it. I have never in all my years around and raising chickens seen one that was egg-bound. Weren't you just a little worried about shard's of egg shells cutting her internally? Also has this happened to her before? She looks a little like an americauna from what I could see. Beautiful Roo also.

Ack! Owe!

shivers!!! just shivers. :/

Hay just ran on pure instinct i knew i had to do something and if i forced it out it would have ripped apart her vent.
Yes it was that big so my only course was to break the egg and remove it that way. I felt around real good there wasn't anything left the shell came out crushed but still intact so nothing left behind.
Shes going on 2 now and it's never happened before and i don't think it will happen again

She a Old English Lemon Blue bantam and she is very tiny.

Glad i know now how to do it but i hope theres not a next time ^_^

Harm your a genius: I must admit if it ever happens to me I'm calling you over. Can you just see me trying to help that poor hen out and one of my customers walk in. OH OH Sorry!!! I'll come back another time, you SickO. I was felling a little strange just listening to you describle the problem and solution. LOL I think. Hay

Oh! Hay Vet's do Things like that all the time i'm not a sqeemish person don't much bother me. I been raised around animals all my life and most folks who have been know sometimes you got to do things that aren't very pleasant.

Thats it Harmony, I am going to have you on speed dial.... And you are right, us animal owners sometimes have to do things that are not nice but the animal would not survive if we didnt. I still am in awe thought, as I looked at my girls yeaterday trying to figure out how I would do something like that.

Harmony, now that you said all of that, I think that is what was wrong with Momma. I know she had laid a huge egg. Her under side was so hard and huge. I just didn't know what was wrong with her. And with the other chickens picking on her, I had to move her. The next morning she was dead. It was probably more than she could bare. My poor girl.

rhodiegirl I'm so sorry about your hen {{{HUG}}} I just noticed she had the runny poo on her vent and she had been acting like she was going to lay for a couple days.
Her underside was very hard like you said and i knew it was a egg.
I just held her with her rear pointing towards the ground and moved the egg till i could touch the end and i pierced it with my nail. With the pressure the egg insides yolk and all just flowed out and i crushed the shell and stuck my finger in and guided it out.
She was fine this morning eating and clucking i will watch her more closely to see if it happens again.

Harm: With nails that strong I never want to get in a cat fight with you. Your right Harm sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The key word there is YOU. lol. I must say just the graphics you explain is enough for me. I do have a very queasy system. I tell my girls daily, don't get in trouble!! I'm not very good at this. Have a great day Harm and thanks for just being you. Haystack