Laying Issues - 2 y/o Lavender Orpington

[kaydeetee86]

I could really use some help. I’m having trouble with one of my girls, and I’m at my wits end trying to figure out what to do.

She’s a 2 y/o Lavender Orpington.

Her butt is constantly dirty. She never laid eggs with the best shells, but it’s getting worse. They’re coarse and thin, or shell less. (More details below.)

I wash her when it needs it. I’ve tried anti fungal spray and Monistat, and it made no difference. I did a preventative treatment of CORID for the whole flock around a month ago. Also no difference. I last dewormed them around this time last year. I don’t currently see any signs of worms or other pests.

I took her to the vet last month. The only diagnosis was that she was eggbound, and that ended up being the case. She also prescribed probiotic paste, and said to bring her back in if she didn’t pass the egg by morning.

I was able to help her pass the egg a few hours later, and the photos I’ll be attaching don’t do it justice. That thing was massive and lumpy, but the shell itself was fragile. The inside was normal when we cracked it.

Today, she laid a shell less egg. Some of the “shell” was still stuck in her bum, and we had to pull it out.

Her stool is normal sometimes, runny other times.

She eats layer feed - I think it’s 16% protein. Her main treats are sunflower seeds and greens. I’ve been putting vitamin/electrolyte powder in the water on hotter days. They all have free choice oyster shell.

Her weight is normal - a little over 4 lbs, and it doesn’t fluctuate. She eats and drinks, and she doesn’t feel too skinny. The coloring in her face is good. She’s a happy little chicken. I won’t euthanize… she otherwise acts perfectly fine.

What the heck can I do? I love this little bird - she’s the goofball on my profile pic.

Pics of the egg aftermath today. My wife said she laid a thin shelled one before this.

My vet is reasonably priced, but I can’t keep taking on credit card debt to go there. I don’t know what to do.

 

[Karianne]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but whenever I'm having an issue with an animal I like to strip things back to basics so it's easier to really pin-point the underlying issue.

Maybe you should cut out all treats for a while and perhaps make sure the feed is fresh and untainted also? I would be tempted to just buy a new bag. Wash out waterer and disinfect, make sure the water source is good. It's not softened water is it? Perhaps consider a different source if so. I would stop using the electrolytes in their water also, unless it's in a separate waterer.

Have you tried giving her a calcium supplement or ground egg shells, as she may not be getting enough from the oyster shell? I would personally do this ASAP.

Perhaps also check for lice? Is she free-ranging and eating a lot of a certain plant or something possibly?

 

[kaydeetee86]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but whenever I'm having an issue with an animal I like to strip things back to basics so it's easier to really pin-point the underlying issue.

Maybe you should cut out all treats for a while and perhaps make sure the feed is fresh and untainted also? I would be tempted to just buy a new bag. Wash out waterer and disinfect, make sure the water source is good. It's not softened water is it? Perhaps consider a different source if so. I would stop using the electrolytes in their water also, unless it's in a separate waterer.

Have you tried giving her a calcium supplement or ground egg shells, as she may not be getting enough from the oyster shell? I would personally do this ASAP.

Perhaps also check for lice? Is she free-ranging and eating a lot of a certain plant or something possibly?

Thank you. The bag of feed is still pretty new, but I can replace it if I need to. I’ll definitely sanitize the dishes.

How do you do the ground eggshells? I’ve seen it but haven’t ever done it. Do you just mix them in with the food?

I don’t see any signs of lice. They can’t free range, unfortunately. It’s not safe here.

 

[Karianne]

How do you do the ground eggshells? I’ve seen it but haven’t ever done it. Do you just mix them in with the food?

I don’t see any signs of lice. They can’t free range, unfortunately. It’s not safe here.

I boil the egg in water for 8 minutes and generally I just peel off the shell and crush it by hand or with the end of a wooden rolling pin until it's all crushed up, doesn't need to be powder or anything. Specifically for her I would put it in a dish and monitor her intake, don't mix with regular food.

Also, what does her egg look like on the inside? Is it an actual egg? Post pics if not. Perhaps consider an infection also. Has she had anti-biotics?

 

[kaydeetee86]

I boil the egg in water for 8 minutes and generally I just peel off the shell and crush it by hand or with the end of a wooden rolling pin until it's all crushed up, doesn't need to be powder or anything. Specifically for her I would put it in a dish and monitor her intake, don't mix with regular food.

Also, what does her egg look like on the inside? Is it an actual egg? Post pics if not. Perhaps consider an infection also. Has she had anti-biotics?

Thank you. I’ll try the shell tomorrow. She and her bestie have a coop together, because they’re both so low on the pecking order that they get bullied. It’s easy to monitor her food.

I’m wondering/concerned about an infection, but I don’t know. The vet didn’t seem too worried about the discharge that causes her bum to get dirty… I had to even ask for probiotics.

The eggs look perfectly normal inside. It’s just the shells (or lack thereof) that are a disaster. And then the messy butt, and off and on runny stool.

 

[kaydeetee86]

Update on Enid:

She’s doing great! I debated back and forth, but I ended up trying the Trimeth/Sulfa antibiotics that I had on hand. It quickly turned everything around. No more messy bum, poop is back to normal, and she started laying much better eggs.

She’s molting right now and not laying, but she’s an happy and active bird with gorgeous feathers coming in.