HELP! Broken egg inside hen!! She's really sick.

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Ahhh great news! Now please spread the word that oyster shell really is worth it - as it is.

I'm so happy for you and for her. THanks for the update.

I am glad that Whiskey finally passed the broken shell. Things didn't look good as I was reading Page 1..

Congratulations to the whole family (chickens and humans)!

--Hugh

I know this thread was from 09 but I thought I'd add my experience in case anyone searched for do it yourself fixing of an egg bound , broken shell inside hen . This has worked for me numerous times and has saved the lives of many hens over the years and I can say " knock on wood , I have never lost a hen to an egg issue ." If you notice a hen who is oozing yolk or egg white from her vent .
A. Remove her from coop immediately, this must be treated right away to prevent infection .
B. Get some extra virgin olive oil and fill the sink with warm water .
C. Wash the outside of the vent with warm water only , no soap . Pour olive oil on vent opening and on middle finger .
D. Slowly insert middle finger into vent as much as it will allow and feel around for shell, if you feel soft shell , use finger to scoop it out but if you feel hard shell you will have to bring her to a vet for removal . Once you have removed all the pieces of shell , use a baby snot remover to irrigate inside the vent , then dry the outside and put a little more olive oil on the opening . Put this hen in a carrier and give her water with antibiotics in it for five days . You can buy the powder from tractor supply for seven bucks . It's called oxytetracycline , broad spectrum. I always keep it handy for bumblefoot or anything else that might arise .

What if there is hard shell inside the vent but bringing the chicken to the vet is not an option ? Should I cull?

No need to cull @Chicktori. She needs help to pass the broken shell and an antibiotic. This recent thread will walk you through all the steps:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-egg-impacted-crop-favorite-hen-help.1303588/

claricevampire said:

I know this thread was from 09 but I thought I'd add my experience in case anyone searched for do it yourself fixing of an egg bound , broken shell inside hen . This has worked for me numerous times and has saved the lives of many hens over the years and I can say " knock on wood , I have never lost a hen to an egg issue ." If you notice a hen who is oozing yolk or egg white from her vent .
A. Remove her from coop immediately, this must be treated right away to prevent infection .
B. Get some extra virgin olive oil and fill the sink with warm water .
C. Wash the outside of the vent with warm water only , no soap . Pour olive oil on vent opening and on middle finger .
D. Slowly insert middle finger into vent as much as it will allow and feel around for shell, if you feel soft shell , use finger to scoop it out but if you feel hard shell you will have to bring her to a vet for removal . Once you have removed all the pieces of shell , use a baby snot remover to irrigate inside the vent , then dry the outside and put a little more olive oil on the opening . Put this hen in a carrier and give her water with antibiotics in it for five days . You can buy the powder from tractor supply for seven bucks . It's called oxytetracycline , broad spectrum. I always keep it handy for bumblefoot or anything else that might arise .

Click to expand...

I know this last post was years ago, but just in case anyone with knowledge sees it, I'm going to try anyway. I have a hen that was acting a little sluggish and hanging by the front porch a lot even while the rest of the flock was walking around the yard. I went outside a bit later and there was an egg right outside my door covered in thick clear gooey stuff, like egg white. There was also another little puddle on the porch of the same goo. She is still acting very slow and just hiding underneath chairs and such. I checked out her vent(the outside) and it looks pinkish and normal other than the fact that it is pulsing a bit. From the outside, I don't feel any egg in her abdomen. Could she have broken an egg in there even though she did just lay a fully in tact one??