How to Cure an Egg Bound Chicken

As egg-laying chickens age, their oviducts become less able to expel eggs. When an egg gets stuck inside the oviduct of a hen, the hen is said to be "egg bound." The egg must be removed or the hen will die. Chickens stop laying eggs when they begin to molt, when they've been stressed, when daylight hours get shorter, when they get sick and when they become egg bound. An egg-bound hen ruffles her feathers, gets glossy-eyed and pumps her tail up and down. This pumping means that she's using the muscles in her oviduct to try and push out the egg. She will also become lethargic. Try providing a moist, warm environment to aid your egg-bound hen.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 folding chairs
  • Cage with a wire-mesh floor
  • Painter's plastic
  • Thermometer
  • Stew pot
  • Hot water
  • Utility knife
  • Heat lamp
  • Veterinarian (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up two folding chairs and face them toward each other.

    • 2

      Set up a cage with a wire-mesh floor on top of the two chair seats. Span the cage from chair to chair.

    • 3

      Lay a piece of painter's plastic over the top and sides of the cage and place a thermometer inside the cage.

    • 4

      Place a large stew pot beneath the cage and fill it with hot steaming water. Place the chicken in the cage and wait for her to lay the egg. Watch that the steam does not burn the hen.

    • 5

      Cut a hole in the top of the plastic with a utility knife and hang a heat lamp above the cage to add extra warmth. Keep an eye on the thermometer,and keep the temperature between 90 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Fluff the painter's plastic to lower the temperature when needed.