This morning, there was a shell-less (and rather scrambled) egg under the roost. I figured out the culprit was my Ameraucauna, Henrietta, pretty quickly because she had a piece of egg stuck to her vent. She's two years old, a reliable egg layer, very docile good girl. I got her in a shallow tub and washed her vent. There were a few shards of egg shells I gently pulled out. Rinsed her off. She ate a couple of mealworms but was staying away from the others in the yard. I was worried that she might have more shell inside of her, so I called the vet.
The vet took an x-ray. They didn't see any pieces of shell, her crop was full, and she had some rocks in her gizzard. Everything looked good. While there, she pooped a couple times and it was pale white and goopy, like a puddle. They took a culture to check for mycoplasma gallisepticum and also mentioned it could be egg drop syndrome (No contact with ducks or geese.) Their shells are always normal. I ate two of her eggs last night and didn't notice anything different about them. I offer calcium every so often. I've had trouble keeping it in a separate bowl in the run because they knock it over and don't eat it. (Must come up with something for that.) They actually all ate a bit just last week when I offered. The always eat a layer feed (although I did change it up recently because the store was out of the one I prefer). I do lure them back into the run with a small bit of mealworms a couple of times a day, but they don't get any leftovers.
I got her home and set her up on the screened in porch. She'll have to be quarantined at least until the culture comes back in three days. I think we'll take her inside for the night because the porch is not predator-proof. She is drinking quite a bit, pooped more (a lot like before but also yellow-brownish) but isn't showing interest in food. We've offered calcium, layer feed (the one we always get), mealworms and even a suet block, and she's not eating. She is drinking a lot. I put her in the yard, and she's sort of just standing in one place for a long time, then moving to a different place, then standing there. Not foraging. Now she's standing by the run and listening to her flockmates complaining that they can't come out. (There are five of them, and they have a coop and spacious run.) One thing I am noticing is that she is holding her tail feathers down further than usual.
Neither she nor any of the four flockmates have any signs of respiratory distress, such as nasal or eye discharge, sneezing, coughing. (Anything else I should look for?) The vet gave me some antibiotic called Tetroxy HCA-280 and said not to use it until she shows signs of respiratory problems. I'm concerned that she's not eating. I haven't felt her crop since this morning. (She's fleeing me pretty successfully after this morning. UPDATE: Her crop feels empty.)
Is there anything I should be looking for or doing? Would you start the antibiotics? (I know I can't eat the eggs for a long time afterwards, which is OK with me.) She's a pet to me and my favorite girl. But I am also realistic in knowing that chickens do not have long lifespans. I hope that she can hang on!
Thank you so much. Any advice is appreciated.
Erica
The vet took an x-ray. They didn't see any pieces of shell, her crop was full, and she had some rocks in her gizzard. Everything looked good. While there, she pooped a couple times and it was pale white and goopy, like a puddle. They took a culture to check for mycoplasma gallisepticum and also mentioned it could be egg drop syndrome (No contact with ducks or geese.) Their shells are always normal. I ate two of her eggs last night and didn't notice anything different about them. I offer calcium every so often. I've had trouble keeping it in a separate bowl in the run because they knock it over and don't eat it. (Must come up with something for that.) They actually all ate a bit just last week when I offered. The always eat a layer feed (although I did change it up recently because the store was out of the one I prefer). I do lure them back into the run with a small bit of mealworms a couple of times a day, but they don't get any leftovers.
I got her home and set her up on the screened in porch. She'll have to be quarantined at least until the culture comes back in three days. I think we'll take her inside for the night because the porch is not predator-proof. She is drinking quite a bit, pooped more (a lot like before but also yellow-brownish) but isn't showing interest in food. We've offered calcium, layer feed (the one we always get), mealworms and even a suet block, and she's not eating. She is drinking a lot. I put her in the yard, and she's sort of just standing in one place for a long time, then moving to a different place, then standing there. Not foraging. Now she's standing by the run and listening to her flockmates complaining that they can't come out. (There are five of them, and they have a coop and spacious run.) One thing I am noticing is that she is holding her tail feathers down further than usual.
Neither she nor any of the four flockmates have any signs of respiratory distress, such as nasal or eye discharge, sneezing, coughing. (Anything else I should look for?) The vet gave me some antibiotic called Tetroxy HCA-280 and said not to use it until she shows signs of respiratory problems. I'm concerned that she's not eating. I haven't felt her crop since this morning. (She's fleeing me pretty successfully after this morning. UPDATE: Her crop feels empty.)
Is there anything I should be looking for or doing? Would you start the antibiotics? (I know I can't eat the eggs for a long time afterwards, which is OK with me.) She's a pet to me and my favorite girl. But I am also realistic in knowing that chickens do not have long lifespans. I hope that she can hang on!
Thank you so much. Any advice is appreciated.
Erica
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Thank you for the suggestions.
