EE Acting Eggbound - Nothing Stands Out!

[valentinebaby]

I have a 21 week old EE that is acting egg bound. Earlier this a.m., she was in the nest box for a bit and I heard her "bawk bawk I've laid an egg" song, but when I checked there was no egg. She returned to the nest later in the morning, but again I found nothing. She laid her 1st egg last Friday and it was very large (but normal) compared to the other pullets (NHR's) that have recently started laying.

This afternoon I went into the run to check on the girls and she was the only hen sitting down. I observed for a while and she did not ever get up and join the other girls when I threw some treats out.

I then took her into the house and examined her - no mites or lice - and only a tiny bit of yellow (not yolk colour - more like the type that shows up in their pooh from time to time) clinging to one of her feathers around her vent. Her vent looks large, but not prolapsed or protruding, but it is pulsating. Her abdomen feels like all the other girls I checked and I don't really feel anything hard like an egg. After trying the steam bath (which heated both of us up!) and laying her on a heating pad (which definitely overheated her) I placed her in a bathtub on a towel and let her be for a while. When I decided to check her vent with a lubricated finger, i found she had had a normal poop on the towel. I gingerly inserted my pinkie about an inch and could not feel an egg at all - just moist tissue.

I then decided to segregate her in the coop and she promptly entered the nest box. When I checked about 15 mins. later she was standing by the inside waterer and there was a small amount of clear and opaque yellow that she had apparently pooped, but it doesn't look anything like an egg part.

So, I put a lil more vaseline into her bum and have decided to let her be - she's back outside, but sitting down.

Any ideas?

 

[muddypuddles]

I have hen like this- I am hoping you get a reply.

 

[valentinebaby]

Still hoping someone knowledgeable will see this and have some advice. Last night before tucking the girls in, I noticed this EE was having a bit more of the clear and opaque yellow discharge - so I'm really starting to think she had a soft shell egg go bad in her and I just can't feel it and she's trying to expel it.

This morning she let herself out of the coop, but is still keeping to herself - yet standing so far. Gonna take some yogurt out and give her a separate dish and see if that helps her. If anyone has any ideas, I'd really appreciate it - thanks!

Gail

 

[Brindlebtch]

Has she laid before? Or will this be her first egg?

 

[valentinebaby]

Sorry it took so long for getting back to you! Had to leave to go watch my dad who has alzheimer's and just now got home.

This girl laid her 1st beautiful mint green egg last Friday and it was larger than any of the ones the NHR's have laid (the NHR's are the same age as her, but started laying about 3 weeks ago @ 17 weeks or thereabout). I expected to get another green one from her by Tuesday at the latest and it was yesterday that I noticed she was acting odd.

I'm now thinking that changing their mash has affected her and possibly the NHR's as well. I was getting at least 2, usually 3 eggs/day from the 4 NHR's that have been laying for about 3 weeks and since Friday, I'm lucky if I'm getting 2/day - today I've only had 1.

I decided to switch from 20% Allway crumbles to 20% laying pellets around Thursday of last week (same company brand) to see if there would be less waste and they HATED the pellets. On Friday I had 5 eggs (1 was the 1st green one and 1 was a rubber egg from my 1st laying hen who had already laid 1 egg that morning). I was concerned that they were not eating the pellets, so on Saturday, (my feed store was closed) I purchased some 16% Dumor layer crumble from TSC and while they seem to like it, production has been down and now I have this problem with my EE. Of course they have had free choice oyster shell all this time that I purchased at the feed store, but I did buy some smaller oyster shell crumble at the pet store and they really eat that up - I figured oyster shell was oyster shell. I also give them lowfat plain yogurt about every other day and ACV in their water every day.

Just checked on my EE and she's still standing, but still under the coop and away from the others. I haven't had the time to physically examine her today, but will do so soon.

So do you think the feed switch created this chaos?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
It could be that their lack of production has something to do with it, and probably the different composition of the feeds. I'm not personally familiar with the dumor feeds, but I have read lately some people saying things about them being less efficiently used and the poops are stinkier. So there must be something in its composition that is different. Perhaps that sort of change did it, and of course the lower protein. But what do you do? Hens have to eat so you did the right thing.

As for the oyster shell, interesting that they like one type over another. Did the newbie hen get some as well? It sounds like she should be fine with her calcium, maybe the issue is just that the eggs are too large but still I'd consider the one-time treatment with a tums tablet and then trying to encourage her to eat the oyster shell just to make sure. Her D and phosphorus should be fine.

The one thing that most concerns me is the possibility that one egg broke inside of her. The little yellow worries me. If you see that again, rinsing them inside with very cool water helps to flush out whatever yolk and eggshell might be in there. I would really consider using penicillin injectable if you think there was any chance that there was egg shell/yolk in there. The way that she's standing about makes me unable to rule that out and it's surely possible, I'd even go as far as to tentatively say it's likely. I'm not a fan of medicating without knowing, but this is one of those situations where I think I'd go ahead and do it.

Do you know how to handle eggs that aren't passing if you encounter one? Could we help you with that as well?

 

[valentinebaby]

Quote:
Thanks TH! What percentage of protein do you feed your hens? My feed store recommends the 20% Allway (an Oklahoma mill company meaning Starter-Grower-Layer) over the 16% layer. I've heard higher protein = less picking. Also, since my girls have been on the 20% Allway (til last week) with free choice oyster shell and started laying so early and well in this heat, I must have been doing something right! My gut feeling about what has happened to this EE girl is this: she's is a first-time layer, her 1st egg was larger than the other NHR's who have been laying for 3 weeks (one of my BO's just layed her 1st today), and that all of this caused her to lay another large egg she couldn't get out and it broke inside her. But she has no prolapse. I know I need to examine her vent to the left side, but just how far can i place my pinkie into her???

As for the oyster shell, interesting that they like one type over another. Did the newbie hen get some as well? It sounds like she should be fine with her calcium, maybe the issue is just that the eggs are too large but still I'd consider the one-time treatment with a tums tablet and then trying to encourage her to eat the oyster shell just to make sure. Her D and phosphorus should be fine.

Oyster shell has been available for almost a month now to all the girls, so I'm assuming if she needed it, she helped herself. My other 2 EE's are not laying yet and their combs are now showing signs they're getting closer to laying. I will definitely isolate her and try Tums - yesterday the other girls ran up and gobbled it down before I had a chance to make sure she got some! I bought a large bag of oyster shell at my feed store, but it has some pretty large chunks and it also looks white - almost like chalk. When I was at Pet Smart, I looked at the oyster shell in the bird area and it was grey in colour (more like I was thinking it should look like) and much smaller in size - more like chick grit. They have been gobbling that down and already I need to go get more! So I just this minute decided to go look at the bag I bought at the feed store and it's titled "Poultry Shell" and on the back it says it's active ingredients are calcium carbonate and silica - NO oyster anywhere! So is this stuff inferior? Probably the reason they're gobbling up the oyster from Pet Smart over this!?!

The one thing that most concerns me is the possibility that one egg broke inside of her. The little yellow worries me. If you see that again, rinsing them inside with very cool water helps to flush out whatever yolk and eggshell might be in there. I would really consider using penicillin injectable if you think there was any chance that there was egg shell/yolk in there. The way that she's standing about makes me unable to rule that out and it's surely possible, I'd even go as far as to tentatively say it's likely. I'm not a fan of medicating without knowing, but this is one of those situations where I think I'd go ahead and do it.

I have felt in the area between her pelvic bones and do not feel anything hard as well as inserting my finger into her vent about 1 1/2" and do not feel anything hard - it's soft. In fact I compared her "feel" to the other girls and they feel the same. She has been a bit more active today, but still spends most of her time under the coop. I have not seen any more yellow stringy stool, but I did witness her laying a poop and it doesn't look much like any of the pics on that famous poop image page! There were several small dark green stools about 3/4" in length and mainly in clear liquid- no yellow anywhere. Could be she's drinking more to compensate for the way she feels and its helping to flush her out.

I will definitely try to flush her out with cool water and I have a small sterile syringe - just concerned that any unpurified water may create more bacteria inside her. I did call my vet who has chickens of his own, but admitted he really doesn't know much about treatment for chickens. He did recommend giving her some antibiotic if I wanted to, more as a preventative in case it is peritonitis and said I had done about as thorough of an examination as possible.

Do you know how to handle eggs that aren't passing if you encounter one? Could we help you with that as well?

Yesterday I did try the steaming over hot water and the heating pad and she became overheated on the pad. Where exactly would i feel an egg in her from feeling on the outside. My assumption is that it would be higher up around the vent area?

Thanks so much for your help!​