Bare spots on tummy and weird eggs- any ideas??

[janaecm]

My 3 year old Dominique started laying peculiar eggs about 2-3 weeks ago. They're oddly shaped, whiter than usual, somewhat wrinkled and have some calcium deposits.

And now i've noticed that she has bare patches on tummy, with some really sore looking parts. (photo below - her skin is shiny due to the antibiotic cream that i applied). There are no visible sings of pests, although i know there I dont need to see them for them to be there.

She's also perhaps eggbound- she's waddling like a penguin, hasn't laid in about 5 days and is lethargic. Her comb and wattle are bright red and she's eating and drinking a little less than usual. Her belly is like a water balloon- squishy, but i cant feel an obvious egg. I've given her several warm baths to hopefully help with the egg- this has happened with her before, and 2 days of baths worked.

I don't know if all of things are related or not---- and i'm worried. What I've done so far: I've separated her from the rest of the flock, who all look and act normally. i've given her a box for dust bathing and have put some DE in, in case mites/ lice are causing the bare patches. Not sure what else to do- any suggestions or ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

The bumps on the egg are mineral deposits. It sounds like she has a reproductive disorder, such as internal laying or ascites. Ascites (fluid in the belly) can be from internal laying that has caused liver damage, or from heart problems. Her belly feathers look that way because of the swelling, I would say. Internal laying can be common in birds that age, and can cause the penguin walking, a reluctance to walk very far due to pain, and in some cases, ascites. Ascites pressure which can cause breathing problems and pain, can be relieved by withdrawing fluid with an 18 gauge needle occasionally. Antibiotics such as penicillin and enrofloxacin are sometimes used to treat infection if egg peritonitis is present. Here are some links to read about this:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853726/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/526089/egg-yolk-peritonitis

 

[janaecm]

Thank you so much. I think you're definitely right about the reproductive issues. I gave her another bath and she laid another really painful, nearly round looking egg (much bigger than her eggs from a month ago), and her swelling has gone down substantially. And her behavior is much more normal- she's taking a dustbath right now and squawked and ran away from me when i tried to pick her up. So, I'm holding off any treatment for the moment. I have a feeling we're not out of the woods, but are getting a small reprieve.

We're getting some really hot and humid weather- would this be contributing to her swelling, etc?