r/HumansBeingBros
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u/theflyingfistofjudah
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Feb 05 '23
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This hen who needed some help laying a really large egg
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u/Sleepy_Chipmunk Feb 06 '23
Get her one of those donut pillows after that.
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u/Aerik Feb 06 '23
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u/IDiggaPony Feb 05 '23
Bet that hen felt really really good right after this.
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u/arrows_of_ithilien Feb 06 '23
It's a matter of life or death. Chickens have a cloaca, meaning they poop and lay eggs from the same hole. If she gets an egg stuck, feces will build up behind it and she can go septic and die.
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u/FrannyBoBanny23 Feb 06 '23
Yup lost my first chicken a couple of month ago when she got egg bound. I really wish I could go back and try this technique. At least I know now.
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u/not_SCROTUS Feb 06 '23
Keep an eye on their combs and wattles...if they look more pale than usual or more pale than the other birds, and they seem lethargic, they might be eggbound. It sucks :(
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u/Witchy___Woman Feb 06 '23
Can the shell break when they lay eggs? I never knew being eggbound was a thing, but it's logical looking back on it.
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u/in51de Feb 06 '23
No, because the pressure is distributed evenly over the egg shell.
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u/helloitsmesatan Feb 06 '23
This is incorrect. The egg can indeed break inside the cloaca and cause severe damage or death. Itās not recommended to try and break the egg, and if it does break its best to involve a veterinarian at that point.
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u/Kiki_Earheart Feb 06 '23
Is it okay to just use something to puncture and break the egg when theyāre egg bound?
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u/KarlDeutscheMarx Feb 06 '23
Iirc if the egg breaks inside them it can kill them without surgical intervention
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u/girl_im_deepressed Feb 06 '23
couldnt the shell cause trauma to the tissue enclosing it esp with the pressure being applied to the egg
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u/FlipMeOverUpsidedown Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
Yes. It could. My parrot was egg bound and due to the risk of punctures from the shell during removal I was told by the veterinary hospital she only had a 30 percent chance of survival. Very VERY happy to say she pulled through.
Edit: hospital not historian
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u/alaynamul Feb 06 '23
My rescue budgies egg was bound and sadly she passed away from it and to make matters more depressed her mate who we had for about 5 years got so depressed after she died he refused to eat or drink and he ended up dying from depression. We havenāt gotten any birds since. Broke our hearts
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u/FatBobbyH Feb 06 '23
Eh I don't think so, I wouldn't want a bunch of sharp objects in my rectum or dick hole and I bet this chicken wouldn't either. It would probably be best, when other methods fail, to turn to surgery. If you break the egg its gunna end up with that outcome regardless
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u/bumbletowne Feb 06 '23
In the winter many birds go paler because their combs get dry.
Put vaseline or chapstick on their wattles and remember to feed them high quality food in winter when they won't get as much forage. This will make it easier to see problems.
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u/Le_9k_Redditor Feb 06 '23
Do yours lay in the winter?
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u/bumbletowne Feb 06 '23
Yeah the silkies and easter eggers lay all winter.
The barred rocks have taken a little break from November until January.
I'm in a zone 9b. So winters get down to maybe 19 at night at the coldest but average around 33.
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u/CapRavOr Feb 06 '23
This comment changed everything I knew about the words in the parent commentā¦
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u/girl_im_deepressed Feb 06 '23
how can you tell if a chicken is pale when theyre covered in feathers?
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u/oregano_tiddies Feb 06 '23
By looking at the parts not covered in feathers. Like the comb or the wattle.
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u/kingjoffreysmum Feb 06 '23
Iām so sorry š you sound so kind, I bet youāre a lovely owner.
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u/pseudotsugamenziessi Feb 06 '23
That has happened to 2 of my chickens :(
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u/vilebunny Feb 06 '23
From my understanding (which is limited and mainly garnered from r/backyardchickens), you should supplement their feed with more calcium to help do something with the shells so they donāt become egg bound. The warm bath with epsom salts can help too.
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u/letsgoridingyall Feb 06 '23
I lost one this way. I got to her too late, she was just worn out and gave up trying to lay. š
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u/resplendentcentcent Feb 06 '23
i did not expect to get deeply despondent over domestic chicken incontinence today
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u/doctapeppa Feb 06 '23
Did you try a gentle stream of warm water with a shower head aimed at it's cloaca and some massages and guided coaching?
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u/pseudotsugamenziessi Feb 06 '23
The first one yes definitely she was inside in the tub and we tried all the remedies for almost 24 hrs but it was too late and she was too old, the other one didn't show any symptoms and just was dead in the morning but same cause
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u/Shirogayne-at-WF Feb 06 '23
Not just chickens but most bird species. I lost a 3 year old lovebird I raised from a hatchling to eggbinding and I had no warning because she was singing and chirping when I covered her cage the night before.
I'm glad they were able to save this hen.
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u/InformationSingle550 Feb 06 '23
Thank you. My mom keeps chickens and after seeing this I was honestly wondering if she would have died without intervention. The chicken...not my mom.
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u/Kelly62290 Feb 06 '23
How do you know when this is happening and the hen needs help?
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u/oharacopter Feb 06 '23
If they lay often, missing a day or two should be monitored (but it can be normal). You can easily tell if they're egg bound if they do a penguin walk, or if they stay in the nesting box for a long time trying to lay an egg but can't. You can also sometimes feel for a hardness under the cloaca (egg/poop hole).
To treat it, the best thing is to give a warm salt bath like the video, it helps relax the muscles. Even if the egg doesn't come out during the bath, it likely will soon after. If that doesn't work try another bath. If that doesn't work, you put on a glove with olive oil and try to get it out yourself, although that's dangerous because if the egg breaks inside the chicken it will lead to an infection and death. But it's better than doing nothing, because if left untreated the hen will die within a couple days.
Source: I am a vigilant chicken parent
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u/Tiny_Investigator848 Feb 06 '23
Weve got a chicken we need to do this to. Had to do this to a different one last year. Its sad seeing them so uncomfortable and in pain
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u/Dirtheavy Feb 06 '23
I used to keep chickens and the biggest egg we ever got had another entire egg in it, shell and all. Like the chicken forgot to lay the egg and it got stuck in the shell covering area.
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u/artie780350 Feb 06 '23
We got one once that was 2 eggs connected by a tube in the middle, with just the inner membrane of the shell for a "shell". My brother tried picking it up and ended up with egg all over his hands.
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u/McPussCrocket Feb 06 '23
When we had chickens I found one like that too! It was like a pale yellow "egg" but it didn't look right, it was just the membrane, no shell. It was pretty cool
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u/Greedy_Explanation_7 Feb 06 '23
Question: not sure if you know but why do I get so many eggs with double yolks these days? I swear I had a dozen where half had double yolks. Are they giving the chickens hormones or drugs or something?
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u/Dr_mombie Feb 06 '23
Egg laying breeds of hens are over-achievers in their first year of laying.
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u/Dirtheavy Feb 06 '23
Egg laying chickens get forced into maturity really fast and they just start churning our eggs. Their existence is all that. Eat and lay eggs. In their first year, it's an egg a day plus, sometimes they send an extra yolk down the pipe too soon, and they double up.
Another thing that's different now is how laid eggs get sorted. They can weigh them and scan them too and know they have two yolks and the sell you a dozen of those for more.
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u/Greedy_Explanation_7 Feb 06 '23
Thatās very interesting. I think my husband usually opts for the larger eggs, so that may be why? They weigh more so we get the double yolks more? Thank you so much for answering my question
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u/Dirtheavy Feb 06 '23
He's probably buying actual double yolked dozens. The biggest egg factories sort those out special and sell them as a thing. But sometimes the jumbos can be doubles, so if he buys big heavy eggs, it's far likelier.
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u/Greedy_Explanation_7 Feb 06 '23
Thatās what he does. He buys the jumbo ones. Iāve never seen double yolks marketed but my husband buys giant eggs. Something I never thought to do. Really, regular eggs are fine, but whatever makes him happy.
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u/amisia-insomnia Feb 06 '23
Iāve gotten one like that. Unfortunately I found it half eaten after two of them chased each other with the yoke for 5 minutes
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u/Davy_Jones_Lover Feb 06 '23
This is like that time Amazon packaged my item and then packaged the package again before shipping it out.
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u/PensiveObservor Feb 06 '23
Donāt tell anyone, but when I ordered an air conditioner from Amazon just before the record-breaking life-threatening Seattle heat wave in 2021 (109 degrees F at my home for two days), they sent me two. I immediately gave one to my daughter. Figured I would just pay for it when they contacted me.
Never heard a peep from Amazon.
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u/_hufflebuff Feb 06 '23
They wonāt contact you. Itās easier and cheaper for Amazon to eat the cost of the air conditioner rather than inconvenience the customer. Two weeks ago an Amazon delivery driver marked my delivered package as undeliverable by mistake and they never charged me for the item. I got 4 Screaming Goats for free. It was a good day!
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u/Eastofdark Feb 06 '23
The sympathy for the chicken, including bum rub, was cute.
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u/TubGirlBossBabe Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
āMon chĆ©ri!ā.
EDIT: ma, not mon.
EDIT: You know what just throw out the whole comment
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u/ronchee1 Feb 06 '23
Sharron! Sharron! You gotta see this!
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u/neptunehazee Feb 06 '23
This hen received more physical and emotional support than I ever did while birthing a 10lb baby.
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u/floorclip Feb 06 '23
Yes but no Frenchman is repeatedly your baby āa cowā postnatal
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u/beeboopPumpkin Feb 06 '23
My kid was two weeks early and already over 8lbsā¦ so I definitely felt like my baby was a cow. A Frenchman declaring it seems like it would make it better somehow lol.
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u/asuperbstarling Feb 06 '23
My husband was 11lbs when he was born. He's surprisingly average height and normal weight as an adult lol. My son was close to 8lbs... he's 7 months growing out of 12 month clothes. Many babies are secret cows!
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Feb 06 '23
to be fair, that's a massive egg
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u/removed_bymoderator Feb 05 '23
The father was an ostrich.
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u/coffeekreeper Feb 06 '23
Allegedly
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u/removed_bymoderator Feb 06 '23
That's the word in the henhouse. Wink wink nudge nudge.
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u/BritniRose Feb 06 '23
It would take twoā¦ three hens minimum, to fuck an ostritch
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u/DontTellBossIReddit Feb 06 '23
I never really considered what could happen if the egg is too big. Is there a mortality rate for this in chickens?
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u/Thanmandrathor Feb 06 '23
I donāt know what the rates of it are, but the condition is called being egg bound.
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Feb 06 '23
An egg bound hen that can't get the egg out on their own or with assistance will die. I've had an egg bound hen before. It's such a stressful situation. You can usually feel the egg but it won't come out. Soaking the hen in warm water will help them calm down and release the egg. I've have one hen die from being egg bound and one where we were able to get the egg out. The one that died, the egg broke inside her. It was a thin shelled egg. She was older and we had just finally found a product that actually helped with the egg shell production part of the process. Our other hens that had eggs break inside them have lived. This girl was older and I think the shell perforated the wall of the reproductive tract. She was immediately put on antibiotics but she didn't survive the night. She was almost 6 and one of my favorites.
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u/pinkdolphin666 Feb 06 '23
Sorry for your loss!! Chickens are really special animals and and from experience you can definitely bond with them. Iāve had a chicken with a broken leg and luckily she was able to hop around the last few years of her surprisingly long life. I couldnāt have imagined her going in that way :(
Itās awesome that you tried to help her the best you could <3
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Feb 06 '23
Iāve never seen proof of my uncleās story, but he claims his brother (my other uncle) spent so much time with their chickens that he could call each one individually by name (across the yard) and theyād run to him.
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u/SomeRG Feb 06 '23
I've had around 10 chickens in total over the last 10 years and some of the smarter ones absolutely knew to respond to their name.
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u/fussy_bebe Feb 06 '23
Genuine question if the egg is crowning or stuck but you can grab it can you just crush it while still inside? If it will determine life or death for the chicken?
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u/MNLanguell Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
I saw a post on another subreddit the other night about a hen being egg bound and a surprising number of people have lost chickens to it. Not sure of an exact statistic.
Edited for spelling
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Feb 06 '23
If you can't get the egg out, they will die. Sometimes it is really difficult to get the egg out.
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u/slowrun_downhill Feb 06 '23
How do you know if a hen is egg bound? Do they appear in distress? Is it a situation where you recognize that one of your hens isnāt laying? Iād love to have chickens someday, but my kids would totally freak out if one of them died from being egg bound
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u/actuallyasuperhero Feb 06 '23
She stops laying, she definitely appears to be in pain, she wonāt leave the nest (or whatever you have set up for egg laying) and if itās large enough, you can actually feel it through skin and feathers. Itās not a quick death if you canāt get it out. I had chickens for years, and luckily none of mine died this way, but Iāve seen it. Unluckily, a raccoon discovered my coop and used it as a personal candy store, so definitely consider local wildlife if you want to avoid traumatizing your kids. Itās messier than an egg bound death.
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u/heyitsvonage Feb 06 '23
Yeah, in commercial farming in the US chickens are made to lay bigger eggs through manipulation of environmental factors, and sometimes eggs that are too large can cause prolapses, and sometimes the other chickens will pick at them and cause further health issues.
Learning this made me switch to buying medium eggs.
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u/FrequentEgg4166 Feb 06 '23
I had one red sexlink and this exact thing happened to her, poor girl, Iāll never get another theyāre just bred to lay a bunch for the first year then their butts fall out and they die
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u/ChonkyBoss Feb 06 '23
Same, sameā¦ My red sexlink died of what was essentially an ectopic pregnancy. Bravest, smartest, friendliest chicken Iāve ever met. I loved her dearly but seeing what she went through, Iāll never own another.
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u/Daykri3 Feb 06 '23
I raised chickens when I was young. I buy medium eggs. I will buy large if I canāt find medium, but I wonāt buy extra large.
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u/bluemoosed Feb 06 '23
FĆ©licitations, cāest un bĆ©bĆ© oeuf
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u/Deathknightjeffery Feb 06 '23
I donāt speak French, howās my translation based off just my own mind. Congratulations, thatās a beautiful baby?
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u/bizzybaker2 Feb 06 '23
All the women who are viewing this and have ever given birth are cringing in sympathy. It made me think of my son's 38cm head lol!
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u/freshpicked12 Feb 06 '23
My sonās head was so big, the baby hat at the hospital wouldnāt even fit his head. Thank god his sister was a tiny peanut.
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u/coloradomama111 Feb 06 '23
Also birthed a fellow giant-headed baby! This was the comment I was looking for. Solidarity.
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u/Any_Rough3584 Feb 06 '23
My mom never let me forget I was a fellow giant headed baby. My sympathies, ladies. We don't choose to be this way, I promise!
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u/billyyshears Feb 06 '23
I love my big head baby. His couldnāt make it through my pelvis, though two 9lb babiesā heads (his sisters) had previously made it through. He was 10lbs lol
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u/snoozysuzie008 Feb 06 '23
They had to cut my Big Head Ted outta me because there was just no other way lol
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u/escapeshark Feb 06 '23
"My chicken couldn't lay the egg. So I called my mum who is a veterinarian. Right now my little chick is in warm water. I press on her tummy to help the egg come out."
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u/FrigidLollipop Feb 06 '23
It's sweet to see people who care about their chickens. Some people don't care to learn how to try to help them when they become egg bound. It's a slow and uncomfortable death if they can't pass it. Good chicken parents!
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u/Significant_Otters1 Feb 06 '23
Asking: how did you know it was an egg stuck and not constipated. Sorry to be rude I was just wondering
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u/highwayher0 Feb 06 '23
It's very difficult for birds of any kind to become constipated. And plus you could see this egg of it was egg bound
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u/Significant_Otters1 Feb 06 '23
Cool thanks, growing up in Philly we didnāt a lot of chickens except at the zoo.
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u/xxcksxx Feb 06 '23
Your zoo had chickens?
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u/Nimzay98 Feb 06 '23
I think most zoos have like a petting zoo, which usually features farm animals, cows, goats, chickens and such.
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u/Pattoe89 Feb 06 '23
Some zoos do, The Smithsonian's National Zoo has four hens named Arya, Ygritte, Zelda and Midna.
I did a quick search and it seems that Philadelphia zoo does not, at the moment at least, have chickens. It could have had in the past, though. It's also possible they have them, but they are not listed under attractions. I believe some zoos keep livestock in order to help feed other animals at the zoo. Many animals enjoy eating chicken eggs, I imagine.
The current birds at Philadelphia Zoo are Bald Eagles, Carribbean Flamingos, Guam Kingfishers, Guam Rails, Humboldt Penguins, Indian White-Eyes and a variety of wading birds and waterfowl.
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Feb 06 '23
You would be able to feel it. If you stick your hand under them towards their rear, you can feel internal organs when pushing up and in. If there is an egg, you will feel the hard bulge.
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u/Lenina_somaslut Feb 06 '23
Several years ago I had to take opiates after a major surgery. And my luck I ended up with intense constipation. I was this chicken
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u/randomsnowflake Feb 06 '23
PSA to take laxatives and stool softeners whenever you have anesthesia or pain meds. Your bung hole will thank you.
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u/RazzlleDazzlle Feb 06 '23
Iād rather give birth ten more times than ever deal with the constipation I had from taking anti-nausea meds and not eating for a week. The baby WILL come out eventually. There is however, no such guarantee for the poop. I almost passed out when I finally got that thing out of me.
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u/AltruisticDetail6266 Feb 06 '23
Like when you're on IV opiates in the hospital and finally poop after 9 days without... Don't ask me how I know. If you've never cried and puked during the act you've never truly pooped
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u/SenorMooples Feb 06 '23
Yoo it's probably a double egg
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u/VoidTheBear Feb 06 '23
Iām betting on āegg inside of an eggā kind of double egg
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u/_ancienttrees_ Feb 06 '23
I love that I can actually read the text-duolingo paying off
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u/awkwardlondon Feb 06 '23
Never have or will (hysterectomy next month) but j totally felt it for the poor chickie or for women that went through that horrific experienceā¦
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u/auntiemaury Feb 06 '23
Me after a depressive episode where all I ate was cheese for 3 days
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u/emilyactual Feb 06 '23
I feel that henās pain š my first baby was 9 lbs 6 oz. I was not prepared, and needed a lot of help. š¬
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u/pistil-whip Feb 06 '23
As a woman who has given birth I am no longer buying extra large size eggs.
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u/ClayWheelGirl Feb 06 '23
HOLY COW!!! my friends old girls whoāve stopped laying regularly sometimes present her with a big eggā¦. but by golly thatās the size of a duck egg!!!
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u/Competitive_Mousse85 Feb 06 '23
Okay but how did they know the chicken was having trouble laying the egg? Like Iām very happy they did this for her but Iām surprised they knew this was the problem
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u/Shahzoodoo Feb 06 '23
Canāt they die if they canāt deliver? Iām so glad she had helpful caring parents š§” this mama is going to live a long time and who knows what other giants sheāll have! Also that egg might be delicious ??
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u/skeletor_apologist Feb 06 '23
yes, sadly. birds have cloaca, so their eggs and waste come out of the same place. egg bound birds get the passage blocked, so the waste builds up and they can get sepsis. they can also just die from exhaustion of trying and failing to pass the egg(s).
so, yeah! she is a very lucky hen for having such wonderful parents! š§” and that egg probably has another egg in it, which is why it's so big!
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u/Nardorian1 Feb 06 '23
Where were you 10 minutes ago when I was taking a poop. I could have used your help.
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u/ChipmunkCooties Feb 06 '23
1 - I have had chickens all my life, and never have I seen a hen lay such a massive egg compared to her size ... 2 - I have sympathy butt pain now š
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u/juniper-mint Feb 06 '23
I raise "regular" size (not jumbo) coturnix quail and a few months ago one of my ladies laid an egg the size of a small chicken egg. Since I didn't know who did it, everyone got extra treats that week. Their poor clocacas...
It ended up being a double yolk with a lot of extra whites. I've had double yolks in normal sized quail eggs before, and this was definitely different!
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u/PerpetualBum Feb 05 '23
Oh my lord I know it said a large egg but dang that was an unexpectedly large egg!