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Tilly Bud

Please help, what's wrong with my hen?

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Hello everyone,

 

I didn't know who to turn to so i thought there'd be someone on here who could help.

 

My hens Harriet and Beatrice have been supervised free ranging all afternoon when suddenly we realised Beatrice (Bluebelle) was standing very, very still. We went over to her and her eyes appeared glazed over, she wasn't registering us, she was allowing us to pick up her wings and check all over her body, she was very still and quiet and for a while she appeared to be pushing out an egg (though i think this may have just been a reaction to her sudden illness). Her wings aren't tucked in, they're hanging by her sides and we thought she may have had a mild heart attack or a stroke. She's only walking a few steps at a time and very, very slowly. She keeps stretching her neck and trying to swallow but we've checked and can't see anything, we've felt her crop too and it seems fine. We've used a syringe to give her some water which she's swallowed.

 

We have her in a seperate pen to Harriet and are keeping a constant watch on her but i have NO IDEA what's happened to her. Nothings had her or frightened her, could she have swallowed something that's stung her?

 

Please help, i have a vets appointment booked for 6pm but they've said they don't know how much they can do for a hen, they'd have to transfer me.

 

Thanks everyone.

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It could be a soft shelled egg on the way. :think:

 

Softies make hens appeared in a daze, often ignoring temptation of food wafted in front of them or drink and they will stand in a trance until the egg has passed. The hen is completely back to normal within a few hours.

 

You could try steaming her above a warm bowl of water. This is a 2 person job - 1 person holding the hen at a safe distance above the bowl and the other person with a towel around the bottom of the hen and covering the bowl so the steam stays confined.....it did work for us.

 

I hope it is just a softie, fingers crossed she will be ok.

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Sounds just like a soft shelled egg to me too. Be on the look out and once she lays it she should be right as rain within an hour or so. Until then, all you can do (that I know of) is make sure she is in the shade, near some water in case she needs it.

 

It's horrible to see for the first time - we did as you did and sought advice from this forum.

 

Best of luck,

 

/\dam

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My Coral has been like this for the last couple of days and goes like it a few times a year (often when she's been laying every day for a few weeks). She goes catatonic, or sits on the nest for hours at a time.

 

With her, soft eggs are the problem. A poultry expert explained to me that with a softie the egg laying tubes are contracting but have nothing hard to push against so it is very uncomfortable for the poor hen.

 

As soon as the egg is passed she perks up. I add extra limestone flour to the feed to try to guard against it but she still suffers.

 

Hope your girl is better soon too

 

Jo

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