an egg broke inside my silkie hen!

[Shadrach]

I became interested in why such egg breakages happen. There is a marked variation in egg shell strength from a fist lay pullet to some of the senior hens I have here. I tend to get more in nest breakages from the more senior hens. It is well know that egg shells tend to decrease in strength as a hen ages.
The assumption is often that there is a calcium shortage in a hens diet when such breakages happen.
The guys that keep chickens in my chicken club here have a different explanation for such egg breakages. I don't know if either are true. To the best of my knowledge nobody has done a comparative egg shell strength test comparing one broken as in the above post to an egg laid successfully.
Below are a couple of pictures of a hen laying an egg. despite the commonness of this biological function it seems not many people have actually looked at what happens at the business end when a hen lays.

Here they believe that in most cases the egg gets broken a few seconds before the laying stage shown in the first picture.
Note the eggs already laid.
While a hen will crouch rather than sit when laying an egg all hens polish their eggs with their belly when sitting. This helps keep the eggs clean and ensures better body contact and thus heat transference during incubation.
At the few seconds before stage, the egg is far enough down the vagina to be effected by pressure from the outside; another egg for example that his possibly end up or a second tier egg in a nest. The hens crouch height may also bring her abdomen into contact with a hard nest base. I've seen hens legs slide outwards on hard nest base when laying eggs here. Bear in mind any impact is likely to be transfered to the out circumference of the egg which is the weakest point.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I became interested in why such egg breakages happen. There is a marked variation in egg shell strength from a fist lay pullet to some of the senior hens I have here. I tend to get more in nest breakages from the more senior hens. It is well know that egg shells tend to decrease in strength as a hen ages.
The assumption is often that there is a calcium shortage in a hens diet when such breakages happen.
The guys that keep chickens in my chicken club here have a different explanation for such egg breakages. I don't know if either are true. To the best of my knowledge nobody has done a comparative egg shell strength test comparing one broken as in the above post to an egg laid successfully.
Below are a couple of pictures of a hen laying an egg. despite the commonness of this biological function it seems not many people have actually looked at what happens at the business end when a hen lays.
View attachment 1944163
View attachment 1944165
Here they believe that in most cases the egg gets broken a few seconds before the laying stage shown in the first picture.
Note the eggs already laid.
While a hen will crouch rather than sit when laying an egg all hens polish their eggs with their belly when sitting. This helps keep the eggs clean and ensures better body contact and thus heat transference during incubation.
At the few seconds before stage, the egg is far enough down the vagina to be effected by pressure from the outside; another egg for example that his possibly end up or a second tier egg in a nest. The hens crouch height may also bring her abdomen into contact with a hard nest base. I've seen hens legs slide outwards on hard nest base when laying eggs here. Bear in mind any impact is likely to be transfered to the out circumference of the egg which is the weakest point.

I certainly don't have nearly the experience owning chickens that many BYCers do, but I do know that the egg shell of the egg that broke inside my Iris was very thin. Very. Like papery almost. She was on layer feed at the time, and she had free choice oyster. I have no idea what caused it to be so thin and break, but I do believe you are right that it broke in her vagina. I was able to get most of the shell myself without venturing too far into her vent. What I didn't get initially was eventually expelled. I found soaking her relaxed her muscles, cleaned off the egg mess on her backside, and made manual extraction much easier than it was when I tried it before soaking her. Maybe it helped. Maybe I just imagined it. But at least I felt like I was doing something to help her, and she managed just fine thereafter (after a few weeks without laying anything). But all of this info about chicken anatomy is very helpful.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Do you have her isolated so you can monitor what's coming out of her?
Not sure about long term Tums.... @azygous would know.

I've had this happen to two hens here. With one it happened twice in a short period of time. Why, I don't know.
The first time with a hen called Dink I saw the discarded yolk and some pieces of shell when I did the poop inspection at opening up in the morning. Dink was at the vets that evening.
Gloria (my lovely vet here) agreed that Dink had broken an egg inside her oviduct and set about getting the remaining shell out as I watched and learn't.
The problem for the hen is, it is possible that when the next egg passes along the oviduct, small pieces of old shell may get incorporated into the new egg. This can cause iternal scratches or cuts if say a piece of shell is molded into the new egg at the outside edge with a sharp area slightly protruding. You can get further problems if a piece of shell gets molded into the shell of the new egg, giving a bump or sharp protrusion making the egg difficult to pass.
Gloria went about cleaning the old shell out of the oviduct. I looked on with some consternation.
A couple of points that need to be mentioned.
If there is broken shell inside your hen it is likely to be in her uterus. This is where the shell is formed. Above the uterus is an s bend leading to the isthmus, this is where the outer egg membrane is formed.
Once your finger is in the oviduct the S bend I mentioned above can be felt. You should not insert your finger past this point.
Gloria pointed out that given that an egg with shell and thus solid can pass from the uterus to be expelled at the vent a finder is comparatively small so unlikely to cause the hen any great discomfort when inserted.
I always use bare hands for such examinations with finger nails filed well back and smooth. It should be obvious that your finger/hand should be scrupulously clean. If you do use gloves, nitril rather than latex are less likely to tear.
Gloria set about dragging the larger pieces of broken shell out with the tip of her finger. Dink seemed quite comfortable while this happened.
Once gloria had removed the large pieces of shell she flushed the uterus with lots of water fed by very gentle pressure in a syringe. She used a 10cl syringe with a bare end.
Some might mention that there is a chance of flushing remianing egg and shell further into the hens oviduct. This is possible if you use the syring like a high pressure hose, but even then unlikely. Knowledge of a hens anatomy (the S bend above the uterus) helps to demonstrate why.
It took 6 application of syringed water before Gloria was satisfied the uterus was clean.
Two days later Dink laid a perfectly normal egg.
She did break another and I cleaned this one out using the method outlined above.
I have done this once more with another hen.
All the warm baths, Epsom salts, antibiotics and just about everything else mention above are not going to much apart form inconvenience you and the hen.
She doesn't need to be segregated, kept at any particular temperature, or given any particular dietary supplements. The egg is already broken so further calcium is not going to help, if it does at all, until she lays the next egg.
She may expel the broken remains in the normal course of egg laying but there is a risk mentioned above.
If you are comfortable with having your finger in your hens vent then I suggest you 'explore' a little. The vagina is not hard to locate if you bear in mind your finger should point slightly upwards when inserted. The entrance to the intestine is comparatively tight and points downwards slightly as the hen is standing.
You may find attaching a flexible tube to the end of the syringe makes life seem easier, but be warned, it is a lot easier to miss-insert a flexible tube (either to far in, or in the wrong orifice) than it is with the end of a solid syringe.
I can quite understand anyone who feels to nervous about carrying out such a procedure. I was a wreck the first time I did it. Seriously, a bit of exploration with a well lubricated finger will make you feel a lot more confident.
I wish you and your hen the best of luck.

If I were in this situation I'd feel a lot more confident about this procedure having read this post. Hope I can find it again if needed. Thank you for posting this.

This information is priceless to all who keep hens experienced or not THANK YOU.

The calcium tablet will improve the strength of her contractions and will help expel the egg or if broken, get the parts out. Tums will work, but it's calcium carbonate, and I've discovered that calcium citrate is absorbed much quicker and works a bit better. You need only give the calcium for as long as the problem exists.

The antibiotic is an insurance policy. There is almost always irritation of the reproductive tract when this occurs. This makes it much more likely that bacteria will take advantage of the yolk as an ideal growing medium and this inflamed tissue to multiply, resulting in death in the short term or chronic infection over the long term. I've had immense good luck nipping it in the bud with proactive antibiotic treatment.

I do not soak a hen in distress as a rule. Instead, I install her on a warm heating pad with a moist bath towel over the pad. Warm moist heat is essential for relaxing and moisturizing the tissues. The longest it has taken a hen of mine to expel all the broken egg has been five days, so you need to hang in there.

I became interested in why such egg breakages happen. There is a marked variation in egg shell strength from a fist lay pullet to some of the senior hens I have here. I tend to get more in nest breakages from the more senior hens. It is well know that egg shells tend to decrease in strength as a hen ages.
The assumption is often that there is a calcium shortage in a hens diet when such breakages happen.
The guys that keep chickens in my chicken club here have a different explanation for such egg breakages. I don't know if either are true. To the best of my knowledge nobody has done a comparative egg shell strength test comparing one broken as in the above post to an egg laid successfully.
Below are a couple of pictures of a hen laying an egg. despite the commonness of this biological function it seems not many people have actually looked at what happens at the business end when a hen lays.
View attachment 1944163
View attachment 1944165
Here they believe that in most cases the egg gets broken a few seconds before the laying stage shown in the first picture.
Note the eggs already laid.
While a hen will crouch rather than sit when laying an egg all hens polish their eggs with their belly when sitting. This helps keep the eggs clean and ensures better body contact and thus heat transference during incubation.
At the few seconds before stage, the egg is far enough down the vagina to be effected by pressure from the outside; another egg for example that his possibly end up or a second tier egg in a nest. The hens crouch height may also bring her abdomen into contact with a hard nest base. I've seen hens legs slide outwards on hard nest base when laying eggs here. Bear in mind any impact is likely to be transfered to the out circumference of the egg which is the weakest point.

I certainly don't have nearly the experience owning chickens that many BYCers do, but I do know that the egg shell of the egg that broke inside my Iris was very thin. Very. Like papery almost. She was on layer feed at the time, and she had free choice oyster. I have no idea what caused it to be so thin and break, but I do believe you are right that it broke in her vagina. I was able to get most of the shell myself without venturing too far into her vent. What I didn't get initially was eventually expelled. I found soaking her relaxed her muscles, cleaned off the egg mess on her backside, and made manual extraction much easier than it was when I tried it before soaking her. Maybe it helped. Maybe I just imagined it. But at least I felt like I was doing something to help her, and she managed just fine thereafter (after a few weeks without laying anything). But all of this info about chicken anatomy is very helpful.

thank you all! Where can I get the calcium

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

thank you all! Where can I get the calcium

calcium citrate?

 

[SpaceLamb]

calcium citrate?

Most grocery stores should have it in the pharmacy with the supplements and vitamins.

 

[casportpony]

calcium citrate?

Walmart? You want to get the one that does not have D3. The one with D3 is okay to give a couple of times, but since D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin it should not be given to birds daily.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-Calcium-Citrate-Tablets-600-mg-300-Ct/47431969


You can use calcium gluconate too, which you will find in the cattle section of TSC.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-calcium-gluconate-500-ml

 

[Cryss]

thank you all! Where can I get the calcium

Calcium citrate is the one that works best. Walmart has this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-V...rQO-f9UvoPbo0JYAV8SmYK1l97IegA3BoCNmIQAvD_BwE

 

[Aunt Angus]

I take calcium citrate now that I'm in menopause - LOL! I get mine @ Target or on Amazon.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I do too... but my Citracal has D3 in it. Don't use that, I guess.

 

[azygous]

Calcium citrate with D3 is good to use for the purpose of treating a hen with immediate reproductive issues, although it's fine to use the plain. The length of time such a hen is going to be on calcium is of a short duration, usually no more than three to five days, no harm that vitamin D is going to build up in the fatty tissues to a toxic level in such a short time.

For the purpose we are using calcium citrate, to help a hen expel a stuck egg or broken egg material, D3 is very helpful in getting the calcium absorbed quickly and efficiently. Do not worry about D3 building up to toxic levels using it in this manner.

On the other hand, I sometimes need to treat a hen for poor egg shell quality. For this purpose, I use calcium citrate without the D3 since she may be on the calcium as long as a month. I had a hen at the beginning of spring that was having a heck of a hard time with two eggs in a 25 hour cycle, and her shell quality was paper thin. She had to be on calcium for two months. It did the trick. She began laying normally and the shell quality is now very good.