In Episode 26 Poultry Vet Dr. Blayne breaks down one of the most stressful emergencies backyard chicken keepers can face: an egg bound hen.
He covers the symptoms to look for, how to evaluate body condition and what to do in the first critical 24 hours to give your hen the best chance to pass that egg safely. (Spoiler alert: it does not involve an Epsom salt bath.)
Learn about the possible causes and steps you can take to prevent an egg bound hen.
0:00 Intro
0:30 Symptoms of an egg bound hen
0:56 Why you should not give an Epsom salt bath
2:00 How to treat an egg bound hen
3:20 What to do if you hen does not pass the egg within 24 hours
4:08 What if you don't know how long your hen has been egg bound?
4:19 How to check your hen's body condition
6:56 Possible cause 1: bacterial or viral infection
7:39 Possible cause 2 and 3: Overweight hen or laying too early
7:52 Preventing hens from laying too early
8:39 Preventing overweight hens