Broken no shell egg inside.

[Stephh0701]

My alpha hen (Red) was straining in the nesting box for over 3 hours today. She seemed sick and I was worried. Her bottom was covered in really runny poo and she wasn't laying. I left her there for a little longer and closed the cage while the others were out grazing and she finally passed a glob of egg matter and balled up no shell egg with what seemed to be lash egg material all over it (I'll attach pictures). She had seemed fine until today but when I checked under where she roosts I found another soft shell egg under a lot of poo on the ground. She seemed to feel better after she layed the one today but still separated herself from her cage mates, which is odd because she's top hen in the pecking order. I'm worried but I don't know what to do. They get free choice oyster shell and I feed them their egg shells after I've collected enough of them. I don't have tums on hand but I do have antibiotics. Does it seem bad enough to go for the antibiotics or should I wait it out? I just lost our first chicken two months ago over vent prolapse and I'm really worried the same will happen with Red. What else can I do to try and salvage the situation and what am I doing wrong to have issues with two of my hens so close together?

This was after I unballed the egg casing

The soft shell under her roost

Miss. Red... just not herself.

 

[coach723]

Definitely a soft egg, not sure if there is lash material there, I don't see anything obvious. I would try to get her some calcium tomorrow and give her some of that. Hold off on antibiotics for now. Laying a soft shelled, no shell, or malformed egg can be really hard for them and can make them feel pretty bad, so see if she perks up some by tomorrow. Hopefully it's just a glitch and she will recover to normal laying. If it continues, then it could be the start of a reproductive problem, (how old is she?). If she recently molted then it could just be a glitch while coming back into lay, or just a glitch for unknown reasons.
If she doesn't perk up, and you think there is infection from the egg material then I would give amoxicillin or penicillin. You can get amoxicillin as fish mox, give 250mg once a day or give 125mg twice a day for up to 5 days.

 

[Stephh0701]

Shes only about a year old (and not even that till april) she's never melted (we live in hawaii and it's never cold so I'm wondering if that's why?). She's already really perked up and rejoined the others scratching and pecking

 

[coach723]

At about 12 months she's a bit young to molt, so probably later this year. Molt is triggered by daylight hours not temperature, so when your days get shorter, that is usually what triggers it, I've no idea how the seasons and daylight hours go in Hawaii! Sounds like she was just having trouble passing that egg and is recovering. Still might be a good idea to supplement calcium for a few days, hopefully she won't have a repeat.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with @coach723 . I don’t see any lash egg material either, just a collapsed egg membrane and broken egg. Most give extra calcium 1/2 tablet or 1/2 Tums daily for several days to see if that helps. When they get eggbound with a shell-less egg or have an egg break inside, most hens feel weak and sick just after. Hopefully, it is just a calcium deficiency.

 

[Stephh0701]

Thanks! Yah the days here don't shorten very much and even when they do there's still plenty of sun most of the day. Our days got shorter about 3 months ago and I haven't had any (of my 13 mature) hens molt yet. Around what age would a molt normally occur? The reds are my first chickens so I'm only as experienced as they are old (which again, is just under a year). Red is totally back to normal today... I just worry because my favorite chicken (sophie) had some issues right when she started laying and was luckily nursed back to normal and finally started laying again 13 weeks after the incident and we just lost one not too long ago over vent prolapse, the poor girl had half her intestines hanging from her bum. I couldn't stand to see her suffer and culled her. I'm thinking I'll stick to regular breeds with regular egg laying from now on as our red sex links are the only ones with issues si far and we're 3 out of 6 having problems. I feel horrible.

 

[Eggcessive]

The first big molt occurs around 18 months, but it is not exact science. Then once a year thereafter they molt again. Some do it all at once looking ragged, while others may do it gradually. I can tell some of mine are molting because they lose their tail feahers.

 

[coach723]

Hens 'usually' begin having an annual molt at about 18 months of age. There are variations in hard or soft molt, when they actually begin, and how long it takes (8 to 12 weeks being the average). There is a broad range of normal, some birds do molt younger, and some birds seem to miss a year once in a while.
https://www.wideopenpets.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-molting-chickens/I'm very sorry about your bird with the prolapse, sounds like you made the right decision for her. The hybrid breeds tend to have more reproductive problems (and sometimes other health problems) over all, though any bird can have them. I don't plan on getting any more hatchery Reds myself, too many reproductive problems. I bought some hatchery mixes last year that were labeled 'asian blacks', they are mixed breed mysteries, and they have not been very healthy overall either, they are fed exactly like the rest of my flock -whom are not fatty- and have tons of abdominal fat anyway, so I assume genetics. I've lost 2 in the first year, and another may be having issues now. Heritage breeds are not immune to all the same problems, but seem to have a lower percentage over all. My EE's have also been pretty healthy birds in comparison. Don't blame yourself for the genetics and breeding of them, you have no control over the lines they come from. If you reach a point where you want to hatch your own, then only hatch eggs from your healthiest birds, or purchase eggs from a reputable breeder who breeds for health and longetivity, and the standards for whatever breed you are getting.

 

[Stephh0701]

Yah, I realize it's not really my fault but now that I know I wouldn't continue to raise hybrids. I guess I'm looking at it like a supply and demand thing. If there's less demand they wont supply and less birds will be born with the likelyhood of reproductive issues. I have silkies, wyandottes, EE's, and barred rocks that haven't had any issues and I'm bringing in some welsummers in early February that hopefully my silkie hen will take as her own. She's never laid an egg but has raised two batches of babies on her own. She's never been broody or laid so we were surprised at first but decided if she wanted to be a mama she could raise the chicks for us. All my other silkies her age have started laying but I'm guessing that she won't lay until she has no more chicks to look after. Her last batch are as big as her and about 14 weeks old but still try to cuddle up under her and she happily clucks them to sleep each night.

 

[Stephh0701]

Beverly and her adopted "chicks