# RIR not moving



## Lissa (Oct 23, 2012)

Hey there, My RIR was fine this morning and now she isn't moving. 
She is standing in one place, her back seems arched and hard and her stools are watery. 
The other birds in the flock are playing as usual. Any ideas? Thanks for your help!


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Lissa, have you checked her for being eggbound?


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## Lissa (Oct 23, 2012)

No, how do I do that? Sorry, I am new to all of this. She laid yesterday mid morning. I could google it but thought I would come to the experts first. Thanks!


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

First, see if you can feel an egg by pushing gently but firmly on her abdomen, just above and between her legs. Also, check for distension around her vent. Still not sure? Dip your finger in mineral oil, vaseline, KY jelly or similiar product (NOTHING with lidocaine in it).and insert it as far as you can into her vent (cloaca). IF you find what you feel is a stuck egg, first try soaking her in a warm water bath; massaging her abdomen as much as she'll allow and you can manage. If that doesn't help her pass the egg, you'll have to go to the icky part.
 Again, lubricate your finger and her vent well (and the end of the egg that you can reach) with the petroleum jelly or mineral oil to help her pass the egg. You can also gently push up into her abdomen with your other hand to try to work the egg toward the vent. In the worst case, you might have to break the egg inside her if you can reach it, and remove the pieces of shell, but that may cause damage to her vent/cloaca so should only be a done as a last resort. If you have to do this rinse her vent area with hydrogen peroxide or spray it well with vetericyn afterwards to prevent infection.

I have to do some paperwork right now that I've been putting off forever, but I'll check back to see if you need further assistance. Good luck.


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

And don't be sorry. We all have to learn somehow. Unfortunately, there are a few not so pleasant parts of keeping poultry; checking for being eggbound is one of them.


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## Lissa (Oct 23, 2012)

Thank you so much for your help! I steamed her vent and massaged her abdomen for a while and within minutes...a lot of fluid came out, then a stringy egg white and last, a solid yolk. No shell! Do you know what causes this? She seems to be somewhat back to normal now. Geesh, what a scare! Thank you again! Melissa


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Lissa said:


> Thank you so much for your help! I steamed her vent and massaged her abdomen for a while and within minutes...a lot of fluid came out, then a stringy egg white and last, a solid yolk. No shell! Do you know what causes this? She seems to be somewhat back to normal now. Geesh, what a scare! Thank you again! Melissa


I am so relieved to hear she is doing better! 
Some hens just seem to have these sort of issues from time to time. This time of year can play a part, with alot of hens coming up on their winter break from egglaying. I've read that hatchery quality hens are somewhat more prone to them; with the hatcheries main focus on producing hens that are more geared to production than overall quality and breed standard; but I don't know if that's true. 
The egg's journey through the oviduct is more complicated than it would appear. At one point it actually turns end over end and I believe it's at that point where many of the troubles passing them arises. Soft-shelled eggs are of course hard to pass simply because they are soft-shelled.
Just keep an eye on her. You are providing them oyster shell as a calcium supplement?


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## Lissa (Oct 23, 2012)

The rest of the day, she seemed to be back to her old self so we are relieved (she is my son's favorite hen). Yes, I feed her the oyster shells but maybe I wasn't adding enough of them (?). I also feed them a mix of Purina layer pellet and crumble. Thanks again for the advice/information. Let's hope this doesn't happen again!


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Lissa said:


> The rest of the day, she seemed to be back to her old self so we are relieved (she is my son's favorite hen). Yes, I feed her the oyster shells but maybe I wasn't adding enough of them (?). I also feed them a mix of Purina layer pellet and crumble. Thanks again for the advice/information. Let's hope this doesn't happen again!


If you are offering crushed oyster shell free choice, then you are offering enough. Hens instinctively know how much they need and rare is the hen that will overindulge. 
PLEASE be aware that a few months ago Purina and their subsidiaries had a major recall of _some_ of their poultry feeds (a few of their cat food brands as well, if I'm not mistaken) due to inappropriate levels of Vitamin D. I know this because I have a friend that nearly lost her pet duck to the illness caused by the effects of it. Others did lose their pets:

http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=purina&filter=0&proxystylesheet=FDAgov-recalls&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%253AD%253AL%253Ad1&site=FDAgov-recalls&getfields=*&requiredfields=recall_category&client=FDAgov-recalls

Vitamin D does play an important role in the body's utilization of calcium.

I am NOT saying that is what caused your girl's problem, just something to be aware of. I no longer feed Purina or another Purina brand, Dumor, to any of my animals because of it. Not because they had the recall, just about every brand you can name has had a recall at one point or another, but because of the way the company handled the issue.

Hopefully your girl's soft shell was just a fluke, but now you know what to do if it happens again.


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## Lissa (Oct 23, 2012)

So, looks like my same hen is egg bound again (6 months later). She was fine this morning but I just noticed she is not moving much tonight. Trying to steam her now, massaging her and keep her inside tonight. 

Question: Once a hen goes egg bound, is she more likely to have the same problem again later in life (as in my case)? Or are certain birds more predisposed to this problem? 
Thanks!!!


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