Poorly Hen after laying soft shell egg

Question

 

One of my hens is not herself she mostly sitting down and not eating that I could see but she has something in her gullet. She came out of the hen house this morning and had a drink but no food.

It started yesterday after laying a soft shell egg, when she rose on Saturday morning she was quite normal first to the feeder but after the soft shell egg she has been quite lethargic and her back end is pulsing and occasionally passing yellowish watery droppings.

Today she is just sitting in the hen house and has not taken any food but has had some water to drink.

The hens have the run of the garden more than not and eat all the things hens like to eat and more.

I will try a small amount of yogurt and apple cider vinegar but I don't think she will take any.

 

Any help or advise I'm a newbie in keeping chickens so how long should let her stay like this before a visit to the vet???

Answer 1

It sounds like she may be egg bound. Try putting some olive oil into the vent and then put her in a cardboard box somewhere dark and warm (sit her on a warm water bottle).  If she is no better or no egg has appeared later today then I would seek advice from a vet.

Comments

Thanks for the input. Like I said I'm new to looking after hens but I did check if she felt egg bound but seemed ok even that she would lay quite large eggs some had one small egg within the bigger one in its own soft shell.

The update is not good I came home @ 12:00 and she was dead.

Thanks agin for the help

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Really sorry to hear that you have lost her.