24 mo EE was eggbound

[Bpford]

Hi. My EE about 24 mos just passed 2 back to back soft eggs, definitely eggbound. She is still a little slow. What should I do for recovery? First timer for an egg bound hen. Do I need to do anything for her or just let her recover on her own?

 

[coach723]

I would get her on a calcium supplement ASAP. Citracal +D or generic equivalent, 600-800 mg a day, once a day. That form is better absorbed. That will help get calcium levels up for shell quality, and help with contractions to help her pass anything else in the pipe. Soft shelled or shell less eggs are very hard for them to pass and make them feel pretty awful. It also increases risk of infection if one breaks inside. The first one was probably delayed due to the difficulty in laying it, and the other was right behind because of that. There may be another. I would continue the calcium for a couple of weeks, or until she's laid normally a couple of times.
Does she have access to oyster shell free choice all the time for calcium?

 

[townchicks]

 

[Bpford]

I would get her on a calcium supplement ASAP. Citracal +D or generic equivalent, 600-800 mg a day, once a day. That form is better absorbed. That will help get calcium levels up for shell quality, and help with contractions to help her pass anything else in the pipe. Soft shelled or shell less eggs are very hard for them to pass and make them feel pretty awful. It also increases risk of infection if one breaks inside. The first one was probably delayed due to the difficulty in laying it, and the other was right behind because of that. There may be another. I would continue the calcium for a couple of weeks, or until she's laid normally a couple of times.
Does she have access to oyster shell free choice all the time for calcium?

Yes I have oyster shells in their food. How do I get the calcium in her? I have powdered calcium that I take. Do I just catch her an put it in her mouth? I did just go down to the coop and found another egg dropped off the roost. I think it was her. It looks to be a very healthy egg.

 

[Bpford]

Yes I have oyster shells in their food. How do I get the calcium in her? I have powdered calcium that I take. Do I just catch her an put it in her mouth? I did just go down to the coop and found another egg dropped off the roost. I think it was her. It looks to be a very healthy egg.

Yes I have oyster shells in their food. How do I get the calcium in her? I have powdered calcium that I take. Do I just catch her an put it in her mouth? I did just go down to the coop and found another egg dropped off the roost. I think it was her. It looks to be a very healthy egg.

She also seems to be relatively back to normal. She is higher on pecking order and was actively pecking at one of the 20 mos old girls on the roost.

 

[coach723]

If it's a pill or capsule, then you can just put it in her beak and push it back, she will swallow it. Size is not an issue, they can swallow a frog. If you have a powder then you could mix it in a bit of moistened feed so it sticks, but you'll have to make sure she eats it all and gets the full amount. I would still give her some, until you know she's laying consistently normal. It could have just been a glitch, it happens sometimes. But with shell less or soft shelled eggs, I would want to make sure that it's resolved. They generally feel MUCH better once all that has been passed out.
It's better to have the oyster shell in a separate feeder by itself so they can take what they need. Needs can vary bird to bird, season to season, it's better to let them take it when they need it, they are pretty good at self regulating that way.

 

[Shadrach]

If you give Calcium Citrate that usually comes in a powder or pill, crushing and mixing with a little bit of water and dipping quarter inch cubes of bread in the solution and offering them to the hen has worked most times for me.

 

[Bpford]

If you give Calcium Citrate that usually comes in a powder or pill, crushing and mixing with a little bit of water and dipping quarter inch cubes of bread in the solution and offering them to the hen has worked most times for me.

Thank you! I will do that today for all my hens.