Blk SexLink shell-less eggwhite and soft shelled egg - vent issues?

[portlandcitygirls]

Have four - all 14 mths - and saw egg white in nesting box once this week, though don't know from which hen.

Yesterday aft the blk sexlink was listless and off to herself - when she got up and moved around, she had white 1/2 pinkey sized soft egg hanging from her vent.
Another chicken broke it and it flowed egg white. She continued off alone and listless through in to the evening, but then ate heartily and roosted with the other girls.
Seems okay today.

Two weeks ago, I saw her listless and off to herself, but found a partially eaten wild mushroom and thought it was the issue.
She was fine after several hours, that time. Thinking now it may have been a vent/egg issue then too.

How do I know if is this a nutrition or infection (or ther medical) issues?
Any advise welcome.

Also anyone know of a chick vet in Portland OR?

 

[Gonzo]

She may have broken an egg inside her. this is for an eggbound hen, but it may be helpful http://www.poultryhelp.com/eggbound.html do they get crushed oyster shells? that helps make the shells hard.

 

[portlandcitygirls]

Thanks and I read the other person's post on egg bound hens.
She was fine after my post and then today I found another egg white only egg in the nesting bx and assuming it to be her.
I'll read on using the link you rpovided - Thanks!

 

[dnenella]

Are you giving her oyster shell they have to have that all all time. When i went out of town for a while my dad forgot to give them that and i had really soft shells it looked like an egg with out the shell.

 

[DTRM30]

Depends on what you feed them. If your feed has enough calcium for laying hens and if the others are fine - that may not be the issue. I feed the ground up egg shells back to my girls, though - for extra calcium instead of going the oyster shell route. I could be wrong, but my dad grew up on a chicken farm and that's what they did, and we also did it when I was growing up and we had chickens.

 

[DTRM30]

If it's a calcium issue this may help ...I found it online. I also read that sometimes it's just a bird with a reproductive disorder.

Here is a list of things you can do to prevent or stop soft shelled eggs.

Add apple cider vinegar to the drinking water at the rate of 2 to 4 tablespoons per gallon. This helps the bird absorb calcium. It needs be real apple cider vinegar not "Heinz flavored distilled" which is from grain not apples.
Always provide crushed oyster shell to your birds, even if there are no soft shelled eggs.
Feed cottage cheese. We mix in a little chicken feed so our Silkies' crests don't get dirty.
Mix Nekton MSA in with the cottage cheese. This has vitamin D3 and the necessary minerals. You can get Nekton MSA at Doctors Foster & Smith 800-381-7179.
Mix cod liver oil or wheat germ oil in the feed. This will supply vitamin D to help the bird use calcium. Give bantams about 1/4 teaspoon and give about 1/2 teaspoon to large fowl.
Give the birds greens, many of them are high in calcium and they are good for the birds anyway.