Egg binding (hypocalcaemia) is a serious condition in which an egg gets stuck inside the hen just prior to release. Egg binding can be life-threatening when it does occur and if possible, a vet should be seen for treatment. If a visit to the vet is not an option, at-home measures are possible, but not without risk.  

Causes:

Calcium or other nutritional deficiency

Obesity

Excessively large or misshapen egg

Hen began laying eggs before her body was fully mature

Lack of sufficient nesting areas, resulting in intentional egg retention

  

An overview of a hen's reproductive system is important in order to know where an egg may be stuck.*

  

A hen's uterus (aka: shell gland) is the muscle responsible for squeezing the egg out of the vent. Since muscles require calcium to
contract properly, if a hen has a calcium deficiency, the egg can get stuck in the uterus. 

  

Symptoms :

Loss of appetite

Disinterest in drinking

Walking like a penguin

Shaky wings

Abdominal straining

Frequent, uncharacteristic sitting

Passing wet droppings or none at all (egg interferes with normal defecation)

Droopy/depressed/pale comb and wattles 

  

Dangers :

Infection

Prolapsed uterus

Damage to oviduct

Bleeding

Death

 

Prevention:  

Avoid supplemental lighting with young pullets to avoid premature egg-laying

Feed layer ration, which is carefully formulated to provide balanced nutrition to laying hens

Make available oyster shell (or another calcium source) free-choice (never add to the feed)

Avoid excess treats that can interfere with balanced nutrition in layer ratio

Avoid treats in the summer heat when feed intake is reduced & supply additional oyster shell containers 

 

Treatment :

Calcium  (injection, liquid or via vitamins & electrolyte solution)  

Warm bath

Apply KY jelly to vent

Massage 

To assess whether a hen is egg-bound at home, gently feel on either side of her vent with one hand (think: squeezing the cheeks of a cute kid). If an egg is felt, giving the hen calcium is the first course of action. Absent liquid calcium, vitamins and electrolytes in the water contain calcium and can help. Even if she's not interested in drinking, try to get some into her with a dropper or syringe carefully. If she is too weak to drink, don't try it. The calcium may be enough to get her to pass the egg on her own within a half hour or so.

  

Put the hen in a tub of warm water for 15-20 minutes, which will hydrate her vent and relax her, making it easier to pass the egg.

After a warm bath, some KY jelly applied to the vent can also help hydrate the cloaca to allow for ease of passage when the egg gets to that point (don’t use olive oil, as it can become rancid). Massage the area around the egg gently towards the vent, being careful not to break the eggshell.

  

At this point, put her in a crate in a darkened, quiet room. If a truly egg-bound hen does not pass the egg within an hour of these measures, the egg may need to be manually removed, which can be dangerous but is possible but proceed at your own risk.

"If she still hasn'texpelled the egg, and you don't think she's going to on her own, then you can move to manual manipulation. This only applies if she is still bright and not in shock. Palpate the abdomen to find the location of the egg and gently manipulate it in an effort to move it along. GENTLE is the key word here. If manual manipulation fails and you can see the tip of the egg, another option is aspiration, implosion, and manual removal.   

"First, get someone to help you hold the bird very securely while you work (preferably not upside down). Then, using a syringe and a large needle (18ga.), draw the contents of the egg into the syringe. After aspiration of the contents, gently collapse the egg all around. You want to do this gently in order to keep the inner membrane of the egg in tact, which will keep the eggshell fragments together.  

Last, gently remove the egg. (Copious amounts of lubrication would be good here.) Go slow and try to keep the shell together although
broken). If all fragments do not come out, they should pass, along with remaining egg content, within the next several days."  

Additional reading and resources:

http://www.avianweb.com/Prolapse.htm 

http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html  

  

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*Anatomical illustrations and photo reproduced for educational purposes, courtesy of Jacquie Jacob, Tony Pescatore and Austin Cantor, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Copyright 2011. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Lexington,and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright 2011 for materials developed by University  of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational and nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu. Issued 02-2011

It’s a good thing my chicken first aid kit is well stocked because I have needed it twice this week. First, one of my Marans had bumblefoot and then, this adorable chick hatched with spraddle leg.  

  

WHAT IS SPRADDLE LEG?  

Spraddle leg, also known as splayed leg or splay leg, is a deformity of the legs, characterized by feet pointing to the side, instead of forward, making walking difficult, if not impossible. It can be permanent if left uncorrected.

  

CAUSES:  

One cause of spraddle leg is slick floors that result in chicks losing their footing; the legs twist out from the hip and remain in that position unless corrected. Other causes are: temperature fluxuations during incubation, a difficult hatch that makes legs weak, a leg or foot injury, brooder overcrowding, or a vitamin deficiency.

PREVENTION:  

Providing traction for tiny feet is the best way to avoid spraddle leg (in cases where it can be avoided). Chicks should not walk directly on dry newspaper. Safer options are paper towels or rubber shelf liner covering newspaper.

  

MY CHICK WITH SPRADDLE LEG- Valentina (hatched the day after Valentine's Day) had been abandoned by a broody hen as an egg, mid-development. The egg was not warm when I found it. Hoping for the best, I put it in my incubator right away, knowing it was close to hatch day. The chick had a difficult time freeing itself from the shell and required assistance hatching. The leg deformity was immediately obvious. Inconsistent temperatures during incubation combined with the difficulties hatching were clearly the cause of her spraddle legs. She couldn't move from this position.  

  

TREATMENT  

The younger a chick is when treated, the better chance of preserving normal leg function. Untreated, a chick can die from inability to reach food and water without assistance. A chick can learn to push up, stand and walk correctly within less than a week, often much sooner if treated.The legs must be restricted, braced or 'hobbled,' to provide stability and allow the chick's bones and muscles to grow and strengthen in the correct position.

  

Any number of materials can be used for a brace, from bandaids to rubber bands, yarn to tape. My preference is VetWrap. It's easy to use, sticks to itself, stays securely in place, doesn't restrict circulation, won't damage the skin or leg feathers, is easy to remove and has just enough stretch to allow the chick to practice walking.

 
I wrap two little pieces of VetWrap around each leg just below the knee joint, being careful not to wrap too tightly. Since it sticks to
itself, no tape is required. I find that these anchors make it easier to change the brace.

  

  

Next, I cut a long piece (approx 6-7") to bind the legs together. The legs should be positioned underneath the chick, slightly wider than a normal stance and should allow a slight amount of play in between the legs for the chick to move a little bit. The brace should be removed once daily to assess the progress and re-adjust as needed. It's important to ensure that the portion touching the legs does not restrict blood-flow. If there are indentations on the chick's legs, the brace is too tight. As the chick's legs strengthen, gradually allow for more slack between the legs until it is clear that support is no longer needed.

  

(The brace wrapping above is not ideal, but the photo was too cute not to share with you. "Police, come out with your hands up!")

  

Chicks being rehabilitated must be supervised near water as they can drown. They will require assistance drinking at first. I put stones in the water as a safety measure. (The funnel just dissuades chicks from standing in the dish...until they learn to knock it over, of course.)

  

PHYSICAL THERAPY  

Brief physical therapy sessions help build leg muscles and balance. Support the body and let the chick push up to get their balance. As it finds its balance, gradually reduce the amount of assistance provided until it can stand independently. One minute sessions, 6-8 times throughout the first day are very important.

The rubber shelf liner aids in gripping to stand.

  

This is a video ofValentina at the end of the first day of treatment. Here is a video update on Valentina's progress just 24 hours after the treatment.  

   

Remarkably, within 4 hours of Valentina being hobbled, she was able to stand independently.

Curled Toes  

Most causes of spraddle leg mentioned above can also cause curled toes. According to Gail Damerow in The Chicken Encyclopedia, curled toes can also be caused when newly hatched chicks have too much room in the incubator; in trying to get up and about before their frail bones are ready for the action, they can bend them. Curled toes do not result in debilitation as spraddle leg can, but they are easily corrected. 

This is Windy, one of my Blue Splash Marans who hatched under fluxuating incubator temperatures due to an 8 hour power outtage.

  

Windy did not have her curled toes corrected as I was unaware of the treatment at the time. The crooked toes do not pose a mobility problem for her today.

  

These are Windy's feet. She had bumblefoot on her right foot and crooked toes on her left. She's a trooper.

  

To straighten curled toes: Create a chick sandal by using thin cardboard (just heavier than oak tag paper) and trace around the foot (either mitten-style or glove-style as shown below). Cut wooden skewers, coffee stirrers or pipe cleaners (being careful to protect against sharp ends), to the length of the toe. With tiny strips of VetWrap, attach the skewers/pipe cleaners to the curled toes tightly
enough that the splint will not move but loosely enough that circulation is not being restricted. Add the cardboard sandal to the bottom of the foot and Vetwrap it to the bottom.

  

The VetWrap provides traction to prevent slipping and is easier to work with than other options like tape. Generally, the younger the chick, the faster the response to treatment. The toes may remain straight after a day or two or may take up to a week or so before the bones have set in the correct position.

  

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