broken soft shell inside my chicken

[MaryFrances]

I have a little game hen, not sure what kind, around a year old, she's a good layer but has been laying soft shelled, misformed soft shelled and shell less eggs for around 5-6 days. No shell two days ago, No egg yesterday but she may have eaten it. I can tell some of the shell didn't come out a couple nights ago and she was walking a bit funny. Would this come out on its own? Would she have eaten it? I'm keeping her in the bathroom to watch her.

I can't feel an egg inside her. Sometimes she has low energy, not eating so much, and then sometimes she seems just fine. Two nights ago after all the soft shell didn't come out, she didn't poop all night, but yesterday she was pooping more. Yesterday morning her poop was runny with a lot of liquid and little pellets of poop. Her poop was better yesterday during the day but she's not eating much and not pooping much. This morning her energy was low when I had to leave to go to work.

She is really a pet chicken. I'm going to give her a warm bath tonight and I really don't want to poke my finger up into her. I only have internet at work and hope to get an answer before going home!

In the last week and a half I've began letting her roam the yard more often, daily instead of only on the weekends so her diet has more bugs. The dog may have scared her. I started adding oyster shells to her diet yesterday a few days ago.

 

[meriruka]

Try some poultry vitamins or Aviacharge in addition to the oyster shells. The thing you have to worry about is infection. You could keep her in a darkened, quiet area to keep her from laying. If she doesn't improve a vet may be necessary. See what happens after the warm bath and feel her abdomen to make sure it feels normal.

Hopefully someone else can add to this....... hope she's ok.

 

[MaryFrances]

The abdomen feels normal to me, but I'm new at this. She pooped some after the warm bath.
She's not eating much at all. She is drinking. I have her in the bathroom and she usually gobbles her layena and sunflower seeds when I turn the light on and she's not even eating grapes. I haven't probed her vent...I tried to and she closed it up and I could tell it stressed her. She is pooping some, is that a good sign? A few days ago she ate 6 worms and a big writing spider, the yellow and black kind. One of her poops last night had a very small pink fleshy looking strip, thought it was a worm at first, but with a magnifier it didn't look like a worm.
She's not eating but she seems happy, most of the time.
I'll make her oatmeal tonight.

 

[Judy]

You could try flushing her out if you think she has retained some of the soft shell. Use only cool water, in a syringe (without needle,of course.) The pink fleshy thing sounds like a cecal poop, normal.

Is she on layer feed? Layer should be at least 90% of her diet.

You could crush a Tums and put it in her water or food to give her a calcium boost. You could give her a tsp or so of plain live culture yogurt every day for a while, to help her get more nutrition from her food.

Have you wormed her? Worms could also be interfering with her getting the nutrition she needs from her feed.

 

[MaryFrances]

I haven't wormed her yet...I have some DE on hand and will add a bit to her feed, will look into worming her.

Its funny, in the last week, sometimes she is perky and fine, pooping fine, and sometimes she just looks like she feels bad and doesn't eat. I suspect she was sick or very stressed by the dog, and she may be gradually getting better. Not laying for more than a week.

Don't feel any hard eggs inside. Dont want to stick my finger up in her!!

Several days ago when I saw some of a soft shell coming out, I thought I saw a bit go back in. Haven't seen it on the floor. Would she eat it? I'll flush her out tomorrow.

She's on layer feed, with sunflower seeds for treats and oyster shell. Thanks so much for replying!!!! I love this forum.