Hi there! This isn't something I wanted to have to ask about obviously, but this is of grave concern! My sweet little Butter is normally quite active and will come peck at my leg for some treats. I noticed that she hadn't done that tonight as I was getting ready to shut them in for the evening. (I check on them several times a day since I work from home, she was definitely fine earlier.) She looked rather strained, her face was very red, and seemed to be hunched up a bit and fluffed as if she were trying to push something out. She was extremely slow and seemed to be waddling a bit. Since I had no idea what could be wrong, I immediately began researching on my phone while pacing with her once I got back to the house. Finally.... a giant glob of yolk and clear fluid came out. Obviously at this point I was pretty panicked! I feared that an egg had broken inside her. In a few minutes, this strange membrane thing came out as well:
When I squished it a bit, it had tension and it broke and what seemed to be egg white came out. (Pretty gross man, sorry for the image but I gotta be thorough lol) She seemed to perk up a bit after that! Little more vibrant, but still clearly uncomfy. From there, while following what little I could find about what to do if my chicken indeed had [XYZ] problem, I cleaned her vent with some antiseptic spray that has painkiller in it too. Then I followed up with a 20 minute soak in a sink full of epsom salt. Once she was a bit dried off, I took a glove and felt around the inside of her vent. I didn't notice any broken egg pieces, and I tried to search pretty well, but I'm worried I wasn't thorough enough. I checked all over her underside + eggbag for any signs of blockages / an egg, but didn't find any. I cleaned out her vent with a vinegar + water solution, and she seemed to get a little lackluster again after that. I had also administered a tiny bit of tetracycline to her. For further info, Butter has just turned a year old, is a medium sized Buff Orpington, has never had any soft-shelled / shell-less eggs before now, has had plenty of access to proper nutrition, and has showed literally no signs of unwellness until tonight. Her crop was full so she had been eating and drinking today, and she had been pooping until this strange egg catastrophe happened. She normally has a voracious appetite but didn't do much but meekly peck at seeds when offered them. The only normal thing she's been doing is preening to get any remaining moisture off from her bath... I'd also been worming my birds a few times because I'd noticed they would shake their heads as if itchy, but mite treatments didn't seem to work. (Another topic for another time haha...) So I'm doubtful it was due to negligence from a respitory infection, but who knows! She seemed to have a bit harder time breathing, but that could have been from the pain. Currently, Butter is resting in a pet carrier in my room, in the dark. Her wings are droopy, and she still seems uncomfortable, tail in a position to where her vent is exposed. Not upright like a penguin thankfully, but she's clearly not well. I'm hoping she'll have recovered a bit by morning, but I'm doubtful.... Does anyone have any experience with something like this, and what else is there that I can do to help her? She's honestly like a daughter to me and I need to get her back to good health. I will hopefully be able to find a vet for her ASAP if necessary, though I feel with my family being in the farm business we'd likely be able to do just as well here. I have some penicillin I haven't given her yet, and will try calcium and electrolytes tomorrow. Please help if you can!! I'll do whatever it takes.
When I squished it a bit, it had tension and it broke and what seemed to be egg white came out. (Pretty gross man, sorry for the image but I gotta be thorough lol) She seemed to perk up a bit after that! Little more vibrant, but still clearly uncomfy. From there, while following what little I could find about what to do if my chicken indeed had [XYZ] problem, I cleaned her vent with some antiseptic spray that has painkiller in it too. Then I followed up with a 20 minute soak in a sink full of epsom salt. Once she was a bit dried off, I took a glove and felt around the inside of her vent. I didn't notice any broken egg pieces, and I tried to search pretty well, but I'm worried I wasn't thorough enough. I checked all over her underside + eggbag for any signs of blockages / an egg, but didn't find any. I cleaned out her vent with a vinegar + water solution, and she seemed to get a little lackluster again after that. I had also administered a tiny bit of tetracycline to her. For further info, Butter has just turned a year old, is a medium sized Buff Orpington, has never had any soft-shelled / shell-less eggs before now, has had plenty of access to proper nutrition, and has showed literally no signs of unwellness until tonight. Her crop was full so she had been eating and drinking today, and she had been pooping until this strange egg catastrophe happened. She normally has a voracious appetite but didn't do much but meekly peck at seeds when offered them. The only normal thing she's been doing is preening to get any remaining moisture off from her bath... I'd also been worming my birds a few times because I'd noticed they would shake their heads as if itchy, but mite treatments didn't seem to work. (Another topic for another time haha...) So I'm doubtful it was due to negligence from a respitory infection, but who knows! She seemed to have a bit harder time breathing, but that could have been from the pain. Currently, Butter is resting in a pet carrier in my room, in the dark. Her wings are droopy, and she still seems uncomfortable, tail in a position to where her vent is exposed. Not upright like a penguin thankfully, but she's clearly not well. I'm hoping she'll have recovered a bit by morning, but I'm doubtful.... Does anyone have any experience with something like this, and what else is there that I can do to help her? She's honestly like a daughter to me and I need to get her back to good health. I will hopefully be able to find a vet for her ASAP if necessary, though I feel with my family being in the farm business we'd likely be able to do just as well here. I have some penicillin I haven't given her yet, and will try calcium and electrolytes tomorrow. Please help if you can!! I'll do whatever it takes.
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Following ... Have a BO (9mos) who laid a very Odd Egg one day, then a soft egg the next day, then skipped a day. She normally lays one everyday & I was concerned. Now learning she may have more laying issues 
down the road.
