When a distaff chicken becomes egg bound , her orchis in one of its shape along the oviduct has become stuck or trapped . One or both of these scenario keep an eye on :
Each is serious enough to toss off a hen .
Sudden illness and change in conduct are easy to notice in our hens , but nearly all symptoms can be declarative of many illness . When a chicken becomes sick , there ’s often little sentence to act to save her , so we do what we can .

Assessing Your Chicken
Symptoms of illness in chickens let in flatness , droopy backstage , pale cockscomb , and reluctance to eat , drink , leave the nest box or stand . If the wimp is unremarkably not wanton to see or hold , she ’ll be gentle to handle when she ’s sick — she wo n’t have the energy to avoid you .
Treating An Egg-Bound Hen
If the biddy is orchis restrain , you might be able to feel the bollock from the outside of her paunch . In this case , soaking her in a tender Epsom salt bath in a minor bath of water can help her muscles relax her enough to glide by the egg . Soak her for 10 to 20 minutes , and then gently dry her off . Isolate her from the flock in a affectionate , dark , dry place to give her time to pass her egg . If she does n’t top the ballock , double the process until she does . Wearing gloves , you may attempt to help the unconscious process along by apply some olive oil or petroleum gelatin on and just inside her vent . A lucky biddy will temporarily stanch lay while she ’s jump , which grease one’s palms her some extra time to hear to pass the nut , so long as she ’s still able to extinguish waste .
If you surmise the biddy is ball bound but you ca n’t feel an ball , the soaking and isolation discourse can help move one along if it ’s trapped . If the biddy does bring forth an nut after discussion , and then jounce back to wellness , she was indeed egg bound . regrettably , if she passes an egg but her wellness continues to deteriorate , she probably was n’t ball bound but was get from some other illness .
Now , let me address one method acting recommended by some for removing a destined egg : pierce the egg with a syringe , sucking out its content , crushing the testis and pulling out the pieces . Unless someone who is skilled , like a veterinarian or veteran Fannie Merritt Farmer , has taught you how to perform this process , do n’t attempt it . This procedure can kill a hen that might otherwise perish her own testis from the gentle precaution of soaking and isolation .

Dealing With Death
If the hen never passes an egg and dies , the only manner to do it if she was egg bound or not would be to appear inside for a campaign . Chickens often stop laying eggs when they ’re demented , and they often die from computer virus , sponge , bacterial infections , and even ovarian and other Cancer . Unfortunately , cessation of egg laying is n’t a gleaming index of orchis binding . Sometimes , we can help our chickens ; other times , there ’s nothing we can do but permit them go . Chickens are rarely mildly ill . Unless their provender is poor quality , they ’re either bound with vitality or on their death nest .
gratefully , bound eggs are rare . They ’re most common in pullets that begin lay too unseasoned and in hens whose bone structure are too small for their egg — genetically , these are hen that should n’t multiply and pass on trait that head to more ball bound - prone generation . Lifestyle factors , like calcium deficiency for right brawniness contraction along the oviduct or too much protein that causes eggs to develop larger than common are also risk factor .