Overweight or Sick?

No, not me - my pullet, Belina. Buff Orpingtons are known for being large and fluffy, but she's gotten to be more than just fluff.

I noticed a while back that she kinds of 'waddles' when she walks - a bow legged chicken? Upon closer observation, i felt of her 'tummy' and was startled to feel how 'full' it seemed. Plump? Bloated? Fatty? Not sure. The skin between her vent and her underbelly is quite pink as well. Needless to say i'm concerned -- but as she seems healthy and is laying regularly, i probably won't be doing anything about it.

I've done some research and the closest ailments that match her symptoms are -Salpingitis, which is inflammation of the uterus and oviduct, -proventricular (glandular stomach) which is from irritation and sometimes a tear in the crop, and -acites, which is fluid in the abdomen.
The first two can be cured with antibiotics, and the last by draining the fluid from the abdomen. Um - i'm not about to stab my otherwise healthy seeming chicken with a syringe unless i'm sure i know what is wrong with her. I mentioned earlier that i'm stocking up eggs for an Easter party we're throwing, and you're not supposed to eat eggs when treating with antibiotics, so that will have to wait.

So, Belina: what is wrong with you, if anything? I can't exactly put her on a 'diet' so i think i'll give everyone a course of antibiotics after Easter - we'll see if there is any change in her swollen body. Belina may be a pet, but i'm not in the market for expensive vet visits for a very friendly livestock animal: we'll see how she does and hope that nothing bad happens to her or any of the other chickens.

Waddle on, Belina. Waddle on. And maybe stop eating so much?

Do you have any experience with ailing livestock? When do you choose to intervene?

Thank goodness, we won't have to eat Belina.

Apologies for two egg themed posts in one day, but this was an exciting event that just MUST be documented.

I was beginning to think that our buxom blonde Belina was a "bad egg" or should i say "bad egg layer!"

But today the squawky, bossy, big and fluffy head hen has finally done her duty and laid a very diminutive egg.  Took some convincing to get her off the nest, but i was just happy it finally happened.

Congratulations, Belina.

It's about time!

Little Scare, Relieved Outcome

It was bound to happen: egg bound that is.

We were both quite amazed and perplexed that BB our littlest pullet, a Chantecler (very rare Canadian breed) would be the first to lay. Granted, her eggs have been pretty small, but golly SHE is very small. How has she been fitting those suckers in her little body much less through her vent (cloaca)?
The last few eggs she laid had noticeable marks on them, kind of scrapes almost. I believe these marks may have been made as the egg was forming (eggs go through a process of layers before they get the outer hard shell). After laying two of these strangely marked eggs, she skipped a day. Towards the end of her second day without eggs I noticed her hiding in the back of the coop in the dark. This isn't good. Her back was also all fluffed up with her tail tucked in. Also not good. I had a feeling these were signs of being egg bound and hopped online for some research. Sure enough I hypothesis seemed correct.  Other symptoms of egg binding can include:

• Rapid Breathing
• Swelling
• Constipation
• Fluffed up feathers
• Straining
• Inability to perch
• Swaying back and forth
• Lack of balance
• Sitting on the floor of the coop

Egg binding is not uncommon, especially in young hens, but it is very dangerous.
Upon further research it became obvious to me that i had to intervene, and NOW. So i did what any good chicken mama would do: donned my surgical gloves, grabbed the KY Jelly and a needless syringe. And okay, it wasn't pretty, but with the help of my faithful husband holding the scared little bird, encouraged her to be still, gently lifted her tail feathers and found the source of the problem. No egg tip could be seen, no egg could be felt in her little body, but i filled the syringe with some KY and gently got some lube inside her cloaca. This was very very strange looking, I'll spare you the details. But please, all chicken mamas: do not be afraid, your chicken baby needs you to do this if she's in trouble despite not seeming to love the rude insertion of gooey fluids into her sacred orifice.

We were heartened when she decided it was time to try and get up on the perch with her other lady friends. She succeeded at the leap and was able to balance just fine.

Result of this scary incident: Upon this morning's coop check i found below where she'd been perched: A broken, thin shelled, almost soft like a lizard egg in places egg. The yolk was perfectly developed, but it sure looked like this egg was awfully big to be coming out of this awfully small chicken. I am very very happy and relieved. Glad my intervention may have helped her, now let us cross our fingers that she and the rest of the ladies have no more difficulties.

Do you keep chickens? Have you ever had an egg-bound hen? How did you address the situation and what were the results?