briannajustine
Chirping
- Sep 17, 2021
- 107
- 92
- 98
Hi All,
My sweet little polish hen is having trouble laying. She didn’t lay until around a year old (honestly I thought she would never lay as I suspect she’s not 100% all there haha). She’s been laying since September, and was completely fine and consistent the first few months. Over the last few months however she has been really struggling. She started laying the occasional soft egg (like one every week or so) and the others were fine. She really struggled with the soft shelled ones, and I would often bring her inside to the hospital cage thinking she was really sick. She would end up laying the eff after an hour or so and then be 100% fine.
In the last couple of weeks however she’s only been laying every couple of days and really seems to be struggling. And every time she lays, she lays two eggs within either a couple of minutes of each other or within an hour or so!! Every time the first one is hard, and it is followed by a soft shelled one. Sometimes it’s so soft it breaks before it hits the ground, other times it’s weirdly rubbery and bouncy. Every time it’s completely normal on the inside.
While she’s laying it she looks extremely uncomfortable for about an hour before hand and spends a lot of time pushing hard. I watched her yesterday and noticed I could see the top of the hard shelled egg in her vent but she couldn’t seem to get it out for a while. I’ve given her Epsom salt baths which helps a little with getting the egg out. I was also instructed to give calcium supplements and have been doing so in the water since she began laying soft shelled eggs but it doesn’t seem to be helping.
Does anyone have any idea what might be going on, or how I can help?? She’s my favourite hen and is really struggling. I don’t want her to prolapse or have the egg break inside her as she is pushing so hard
I’ve included some photos of her when she’s trying to lay (the first one I managed to catch the egg coming out
). As well as the weirdest soft bouncy egg we got from her yesterday.
My sweet little polish hen is having trouble laying. She didn’t lay until around a year old (honestly I thought she would never lay as I suspect she’s not 100% all there haha). She’s been laying since September, and was completely fine and consistent the first few months. Over the last few months however she has been really struggling. She started laying the occasional soft egg (like one every week or so) and the others were fine. She really struggled with the soft shelled ones, and I would often bring her inside to the hospital cage thinking she was really sick. She would end up laying the eff after an hour or so and then be 100% fine.
In the last couple of weeks however she’s only been laying every couple of days and really seems to be struggling. And every time she lays, she lays two eggs within either a couple of minutes of each other or within an hour or so!! Every time the first one is hard, and it is followed by a soft shelled one. Sometimes it’s so soft it breaks before it hits the ground, other times it’s weirdly rubbery and bouncy. Every time it’s completely normal on the inside.
While she’s laying it she looks extremely uncomfortable for about an hour before hand and spends a lot of time pushing hard. I watched her yesterday and noticed I could see the top of the hard shelled egg in her vent but she couldn’t seem to get it out for a while. I’ve given her Epsom salt baths which helps a little with getting the egg out. I was also instructed to give calcium supplements and have been doing so in the water since she began laying soft shelled eggs but it doesn’t seem to be helping.
Does anyone have any idea what might be going on, or how I can help?? She’s my favourite hen and is really struggling. I don’t want her to prolapse or have the egg break inside her as she is pushing so hard
I’ve included some photos of her when she’s trying to lay (the first one I managed to catch the egg coming out
). As well as the weirdest soft bouncy egg we got from her yesterday.
