4Year old hen with possible broken egg inside leaking out

[Nksg75]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
EE hen aprox 4 yrs old

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
just not herself, isolating herself for portions of the day

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
I noticed her yesterday not feeling well

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
no
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
no
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
she is 4 years old, so I am assuming something to do with internal reproductive issues

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
she is eating MG pellets, and will really attack the chicken scratch I threw out for them last night

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
see pic:
this is why I feel that there may be a broken egg inside her


9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
after rinsing her bottom of several times, and it seems that it is a broken egg matter coming out of her, I checked for any egg parts by inserting my finger in her vent. I didn’t feel anything out of the normal, so I gave her some vitamins. And hoping for some wisdom from others!

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I treat myself, however I have this feeling that I can’t fix this. I am guessing reproductive issue, and unfortunately not many people are successful.

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
all 150 Chickens free range from sun up to dusk
large coop with dirt floor/ shavings

 

[LaFleche]

That looks quite messy, indeed.

When was the last time she laid an egg?
When did you last deworm her/your flock?
Does your flock have calcium/oyster shells and grit available at all times?

Give her another bath and trim back some of the fluff so the droppings will not get caught so easily.
I would up her calcium intake for some days by administering 1 tablet of at least 600 mg calcium + vitamin D + vitamin K each evening for 7 consecutive days. You can use people tablets.

 

[LaFleche]

Is there an unusual foul odour to her droppings or just the normal poop smell?

Shell less eggs breaking inside a hen can lead to infection, so in case you notice a putrid stench she might need some antibiotics.

 

[Nksg75]

That looks quite messy, indeed.

When was the last time she laid an egg?
When did you last deworm her/your flock?
Does your flock have calcium/oyster shells and grit available at all times?

Give her another bath and trim back some of the fluff so the droppings will not get caught so easily.
I would up her calcium intake for some days by administering 1 tablet of at least 600 mg calcium + vitamin D + vitamin K each evening for 7 consecutive days. You can use people tablets.

Actually I did worm the whole flock 3 weeks ago. So at least I can I check that off the list, and thank you for your reply. I will crush up that calcium tablet asap.
would the infant liquid vitamins without iron have enough vitamin D and K in it? Or should I grab adult tablets to crush up for her?

 

[Nksg75]

Is there an unusual foul odour to her droppings or just the normal poop smell?

Shell less eggs breaking inside a hen can lead to infection, so in case you notice a putrid stench she might need some antibiotics.

No, not a bad foul odor. I did give her some antibiotics today thinking that if it is a broken egg, then it would lead to possible infection. I had enroflaxin(sp?) on hand.

 

[Nksg75]

That looks quite messy, indeed.

When was the last time she laid an egg?
When did you last deworm her/your flock?
Does your flock have calcium/oyster shells and grit available at all times?

Give her another bath and trim back some of the fluff so the droppings will not get caught so easily.
I would up her calcium intake for some days by administering 1 tablet of at least 600 mg calcium + vitamin D + vitamin K each evening for 7 consecutive days. You can use people tablets.

well that is a very good question. I truly have no idea when she last laid. I have 150 chickens and can’t keep track. The reason I know how old she is, is because she has a quirky habit of acting like a rooster. What I mean to put it simply is she hops on other hens when they are dust bathing and does her thing.
I wormed everyone 3 weeks ago
yes they have free choice to oyster shells
i will continue to clean her off, and I will trim her feathers

 

[LaFleche]

I will crush up that calcium tablet asap.
would the infant liquid vitamins without iron have enough vitamin D and K in it? Or should I grab adult tablets to crush up for her?

I did give her some antibiotics today thinking that if it is a broken egg, then it would lead to possible infection. I had enroflaxin(sp?) on hand.

Please allow at least 3-4 hours in between the antibiotic and the calcium supplement to make sure the calcium will not inhibit the proper uptake of the antibiotic.

The reason I know how old she is, is because she has a quirky habit of acting like a rooster. What I mean to put it simply is she hops on other hens when they are dust bathing and does her thing.

Do you have roosters in your flock?

This behaviour can be seen when a flock is hens only and a dominant elderly hen will take the place of the missing rooster. It will even lead to behavioral and hormonal changes: crowing, tidbitting, "mating" the other hens, growing male feathering etc.

But the same changes in appearance and behaviour occur when a hen is suffering from hormonal disorders, often caused by ovarian cancer.

 

[LaFleche]

would the infant liquid vitamins without iron have enough vitamin D and K in it? Or should I grab adult tablets to crush up for her?

She would need at least 600 mg of calcium per tablet, so I think the infant vitamins will not provide enough. And it is easier to pop a calcium tablet into the chickens beak (no need to crush it) than make her drink enough of the vitamins to make a difference.

• Sit the chicken on your lap, holding her with one arm, her head facing front.
• Grab her wattles with one hand and pull down gently until she opens her beak.
• Then immediately pop the tablet in and let go of the wattle to allow swallowing.

 

[Nksg75]

Please allow at least 3-4 hours in between the antibiotic and the calcium supplement to make sure the calcium will not inhibit the proper uptake of the antibiotic.

Do you have roosters in your flock?

This behaviour can be seen when a flock is hens only and a dominant elderly hen will take the place of the missing rooster. It will even lead to behavioral and hormonal changes: crowing, tidbitting, "mating" the other hens, growing male feathering etc.

But the same changes in appearance and behaviour occur when a hen is suffering from hormonal disorders, often caused by ovarian cancer.

Yes we have 3 roosters in our flock. She has been doing this for years, so we just kind of accept her as she is. She isn’t aggressive to the other hens when she does it, just kind of her quirky thing.
Its not all the time, just occasionally, but enough that we have named her for her quirky behavior.
After giving her the calcium, and the other vitamins, she has improved greatly. She is still not back to 100%, but well on her way.
thank you for all the help.

 

[LaFleche]

After giving her the calcium, and the other vitamins, she has improved greatly. She is still not back to 100%, but well on her way.

I am glad she is doing better already.