help I may have a sick hen

Date sort Score sort
kat1117

kat1117

Chirping
5 Years
Jul 26, 2014
93
7
69
North Carolina
I went out to put the girls up for the night and found daisy under a tree limb just setting. I picked her up and noticed she had a run of clear fluid coming from her back side. It was also buldging out. As I was walking to the house what appeared down my leg was a egg without a shell but something that was like a soft shell then her distended backside was gone. She dosent look sick but I put her in a pen in my basement just in case. It seems all at once I'm finding out more about chicken the hard way. Any ideas on her problem and what I should do?
 
I think she was about to lay an egg when you picked her up. In my opinion, she is just fine. but keep her isolated from rest of the flock in case her distended back distends again and other members of flock peck the hell out of her guts.
 
400
To update on my issue. This morning my hen laid another egg without a shell then later a shell that looks like latex came out I have a pic of the shell just can't seem to download it any thoughts on her problem and is it life threating?
 
If your just feeding just Scratch then I would say that your hen has some nutritional problems and you need to get them on a complete feed.
There are a number of things that can lead to soft shell eggs.
A few things to look at when you are getting soft eggs are (remember too much of any one of these ingredients can affect egg quality just the same as too little) --

Protein, Adequate levels of lysine and methionine is need to produce good egg shells. When pullets begin laying, there is an increase in protein, vitamin and mineral requirements per day due to deposition in the egg. If dietary protein is too low or the amino acid requirements are not met, poor egg production and hatchability will occur.

Calcium, The egg shell is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. The pullet's requirement for calciumis relatively low during the growing period, but when the first eggs are produced, the need is increased at least four times, with practically all of the increase being used for the productionof eggshells. Inadequate calcium consumption will result in decreased egg production and loweregg shell quality.
Hens store calcium in medullary bone, a specialized bone capable of rapid calcium turnover. As calcium stores are depleted, bones become brittle. In severe cases, hens are unable tostand. The condition is known as caged-layer fatigue. Birds on the ground or on litter floorsrecycle calcium and phosphorus through consumption of feces, and do not have caged-layer fatigue.
Calcium can be supplied in the diet as either ground limestone or oyster shell. Particlesize affects calcium availability. Usually the larger the particle size, the longer the particlewill be retained in the upper digestive tract. This means that the larger particles of thecalcium source are released more slowly, and this may be important for the continuity of shellformation, especially in the dark period when birds do not ordinarily eat.
Periodically, dolomitic limestone is offered to the feed industry. However, dolomitic limestone(which is used in the steel industry) should never be used in poultry diets. Dolomitic limestonecontains at least 10% magnesium, and this complexes with calcium or competes with calcium forabsorption sites in the intestines. The consequence of feeding dolomitic limestone is inducedcalcium deficiency.
Young birds should not be fed a high calcium layer diet because the calcium/phosphorus ratiowill be unbalanced, resulting in increased morbidity or mortality.

Phosphorus, The nutritional role of phosphorus is closely related to that of calcium. Both are constituentsof bone. The ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus affects the absorption of both these elements;an excess of either one impedes absorption and can reduce egg production, shell quality and/orhatchability.
In addition to its function in bone, phosphorus plays a primary role in carbohydrate metabolism,is active in fat metabolism, and helps to regulate the acid-base balance of the body

Vitamin D, Vitamin D is required for normal calcium absorption and utilization. If inadequate levelsof vitamin D are fed, induced calcium deficiency quickly results and egg production decreases.
Feed grade vitamin D comes in two forms, D2 and D3. In most animals, both are equally potent. In birds, however, D3 is substantially more active than D2. In poultry diets, therefore, vitamin D must be supplied in the form of D3.

Magnesium, Magnesium is needed for healthy bones, proper nervous system functioning, and energy metabolism.

Fat, Dietary fat is a source of energy and of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. A deficiency of linoleic acid will adversely affect egg production. Dietary fats also serve as "carriers"of fat-soluble vitamins, and some fat is necessary for absorption of vitamins. In fact, impairmentof the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) is the most serious consequence of a dietary deficiency of fat.

The general make up of a egg shell is --
Calcium carbonate.............................................................:94-97%
Phosphorus.......................................................................:0.3%
Magnesium........................................................................:0.2%
Sodium, Potassium, Manganese, Iron and Copper............:traces
Organic matter...................................................................:< 2%

(* Note -- With Proteins it is easier to break down proteins that are animal based than plant based. On a second note watch high levels of linseed "Flax seed". Too much Flax Seed can cause health problems in chickens. Overfeeding flaxseed can cause problems for your hens because flax seed contains sticky compounds that stop the hen from digesting some of the nutrients in her diet. Flax seed also contains a compound called linoline that may increase the birds' vitamin requirements. Feeding too much flax seed can also cause production drops, small egg size, reduced body weight gain and thin egg shells. *)
 
I have had soft shelled eggs like that before. I would mash up a tums, add some water to it and feed it to the hen with an eye dropper. They usually need more calcium when they are laying soft shelled eggs. Also, make sure she has oyster shell available to her.

Plus everything Chris09 said :)
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Blessed092001
Sick chicken, need help!
2
Replies
11
Views
626
SmiYa0126
SmiYa0126
Blessed092001
Sick chicken, need help!
Replies
1
Views
289
Eggcessive
Eggcessive
A
Silkie played soft shell egg
Replies
2
Views
366
alinkayukh
A
Kalamity
    • Like
Sick young hen, help!
2
Replies
10
Views
481
coach723
coach723
A
I need help! Very Sick Hen!
2
Replies
16
Views
1K
Sarahh_Janeyy
Sarahh_Janeyy

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom