Ascites/not eating/scaly leg mites

[azygous]

Yes, amoxicillin is what I give for infection. It's broad spectrum and very effective, 250mg once a day for ten days.

It's possible a second egg has backed up her crop some. Hopefully, this will resolve cleanly overnight.

 

[Eddie12109]

Well it hasn’t cleared up... she has been going in and out of the egg laying box constantly.
I tried to give her yogurt and calcium with bread and she ate some but not all so later I will try to give her some more later.
she doesn’t seem to be straining to lay an egg or anything. She did eat and seems pretty lively.
can she actually lay an egg? Or will she poop out another yolk? And is there anything I can do?

 

[azygous]

The maximum and minimum you can do is one calcium tablet a day until she's resolved this egg issue. It's anyone's guess how the egg will emerge, as a normal egg, shell-less egg or a bit of stripped egg membrane. If the last form is what you see in the nest, then she will need an antibiotic to head off infection from a broken yolk.

You will know when all of the egg has been expelled when the hen starts acting normally again. Until then, give one calcium tablet a day. It's a simple treatment for an admittedly tense and possibly life threatening condition. Have you read my article on how to treat all of the possible consequences of egg binding in hens? It would be best to know what you could be up against and how to deal with the worst scenario. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ng-from-vent-prolapse-oh-my-what-to-do.76124/

 

[Eddie12109]

Ok so a little update: nothing has happened until tonight. She has been acting completely normal but I decided to give her the amoxicillin and it is now day 3 of that.
tonight she pretty much laid a shell less egg... I attached a picture. she seems to be getting closer to laying an actual egg, is this possible? After she pooped it out she was fine and it was pretty easy for her to poop it out. She was already in bed on her roost and she was seeming to hold her breath and she was upright trying to get it out so I wouldn’t say it was easy but she got it out quickly.
I have noticed her face getting redder than usual. As you can see there is some shell in that one.

 

[azygous]

Hooray and cheers! She's going to feel a whole lot better now. Keep up with the calcium once a day until she's laying normal shell eggs.

Good job! She's just about out of the woods.

 

[Eddie12109]

Wait so I am going to have another 8 year old laying eggs?!

 

[azygous]

That remains to be seen. This may have been a "spring fling". Hopefully, this is all the ovulation you'll see from this one this season. Ovulation gets older girls into trouble they cannot handle.

I've been trying to talk this sense into my old SLW who will soon be twelve and has insisted on producing an egg or two every single season since she was your hen's age, and the last two seasons have ended up in disaster - egg binding and prolapse to the point of neither of us knowing if she'll live through it.

Nothing can be done to stop ovulation if the hen's body is intent on it. Unless you wish to spend hundreds of dollars from now on for hormone implants to prevent ovulation.

 

[Eddie12109]

Ok so last night she pooped out another yolk. I didn’t get a picture but it was just the yolk, no shell or egg white in it. I have been giving her calcium and amoxicillin still. Any ideas?
So she is currently in an egg laying box

 

[Eddie12109]

Also, the one with ascites, breathing problems and three years old. It has been cold lately and I didn’t want to stress her out more so she stayed in her coop and yesterday I separated her in another cage but she didn’t eat much. Her crop has been very small and there is one thing that is in there constantly, it is pretty small and curved and I have felt it in her crop for two days. I don’t know what to do... if I left her in her isolated cage long enough would she start eating ?

 

[azygous]

The one that is passing yolks has significant problems. It may be more than just calcium can resolve. But keep giving the calcium as it's about all you can do.

The one with the crop issue might benefit from some oil in the crop and a targeted massage to try to soften that lump. She may be getting too weak to eat, so give her sugar water to drink. That may elevate her glucose and stimulate her to get interested in food. You might also try tempting her with some cooked rice with chicken or turkey or fish mixed in. The point is to get her started eating so she will continue.