Chicken laid bloody membrane, any advice?

[DyanneOv]

I inherited what I think is a brown shaver so I don't know how old she is. She was a great layer then she had a soft molt in November and her eggs have never been the same. Mishappend, rough and banned. She has laid a couple of shell less eggs even. Its very rare that she lays a good egg. This evening after I gave my girls their usual treat of veggies and bird seed I notice Daisy was off, slower than her usually aggressive self. She stood off by herself motionless, a few minutes later she went up to a nesting box and laid something I can't explain but a bloody membrane. After about 15 minutes she is back to her usual self. She also has been drinking more water today. I feed them organic layer plus oyster shell and grit. Of course if 5 o'clock on Friday, any advice?

 

[Eggcessive]

She definitely has something going on with her oviduct, or shell gland part of it. Those rubbery eggs are very hard on them to lay, and it may make her feel lousy for a day or so. An avian vet could give her a hormone implant, but that can be expensive. You could try giving her a human 1/2 calcium tablet or Tums daily for several days to see if anything helps.

I had a hen who was hurt by a dog, stopped laying, and when she started back 4 months, she never laid anything but shell-less or very thin shelled eggs. She died about a year later of reproductive problems.

 

[DyanneOv]

She definitely has something going on with her oviduct, or shell gland part of it. Those rubbery eggs are very hard on them to lay, and it may make her feel lousy for a day or so. An avian vet could give her a hormone implant, but that can be expensive. You could try giving her a human 1/2 calcium tablet or Tums daily for several days to see if anything helps.

I had a hen who was hurt by a dog, stopped laying, and when she started back 4 months, she never laid anything but shell-less or very thin shelled eggs. She died about a year later of reproductive problems.
View attachment 2064728

Thanks for your reply. Could you explain what the calcium would do for her, would more calcium help? I had taken her to a vet when she laid a really wonky egg and he suggested that I keep her in the dark for 24 hours to give her reproductive tract a rest so I'm wondering if that's similar to what a hormone implant would do. I did keep her inside a dark room but it didn't seem to help. I did forward this pic to her vet so I'm hoping to get a response tomorrow sometime. Again, that's for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

To stop laying, she would need to be placed in a dark room or cage for 16 hours a day for several days. That leaves 8 hours per day to eat, drink, and walk around. It can take several days to take effect. Let’s face it that will not be much of a life for chickens.

Calcium given for the next few days might help to strengthen egg shells if a calcium deficiency is a problem. That would rule it out. Vitamins D3 is also important. Some calcium tablets also have that.

 

[LilyLoo]

I inherited what I think is a brown shaver so I don't know how old she is. She was a great layer then she had a soft molt in November and her eggs have never been the same. Mishappend, rough and banned. She has laid a couple of shell less eggs even. Its very rare that she lays a good egg. This evening after I gave my girls their usual treat of veggies and bird seed I notice Daisy was off, slower than her usually aggressive self. She stood off by herself motionless, a few minutes later she went up to a nesting box and laid something I can't explain but a bloody membrane. After about 15 minutes she is back to her usual self. She also has been drinking more water today. I feed them organic layer plus oyster shell and grit. Of course if 5 o'clock on Friday, any advice? View attachment 2064632

My 2 yr old duck Loo laid the same type of membrane a couple days ago. And she's acting the same way. It's not like her to stay off quiet by herself. I noticed that she's keeping her tail down a little more today. I dont have away to get to tractor supply to buy anything, just yet. Would tums help? I feel so bad she's usually bossy and noisey following me around. Today she stayed quiet in her pond. What should I buy for her with the same symptoms?

 

[Eggcessive]

@LilyLoo Tums would be fine to use (as a calcium supplement with a little egg yolk for vitamin D3) for a few days to see if the duck’s egg shells get hard. But there is probably nothing you can buy at TSC to help. If the calcium doesn’t help, I would not give it more than a week.

 

[DyanneOv]

My 2 yr old duck Loo laid the same type of membrane a couple days ago. And she's acting the same way. It's not like her to stay off quiet by herself. I noticed that she's keeping her tail down a little more today. I dont have away to get to tractor supply to buy anything, just yet. Would tums help? I feel so bad she's usually bossy and noisey following me around. Today she stayed quiet in her pond. What should I buy for her with the same symptoms?

Please let me know how she is doing.

 

[DyanneOv]

To stop laying, she would need to be placed in a dark room or cage for 16 hours a day for several days. That leaves 8 hours per day to eat, drink, and walk around. It can take several days to take effect. Let’s face it that will not be much of a life for chickens.

Calcium given for the next few days might help to strengthen egg shells if a calcium deficiency is a problem. That would rule it out. Vitamins D3 is also important. Some calcium tablets also have that.

I heard from my vet today and he was not so concerned about her calcium intake since she has access to oyster shell anytime she wants but he did coincidentally suggest that D3 would be more important at this time and suggested 7000 IU per liter of water. He also mention that she should have at least 14 hours a day in a dark room for a few days to slow down her reproductive system. I guess at this point it I have nothing to lose. I will place her back in the coup with her friends just before dark so she can wake up in familiar surroundings. Im more concerned that she did go into her usual nesting box around noon today and sat for awhile but she did not produce. Not sure what that indicates? Bummed.

 

[Eggcessive]

She might be trying to lay another egg. If she still is acting like that in the morning, you can try inserting a lubed finger inside her vent to check for an egg, but it might be a soft shell-less egg. The reason calcium was suggested was that some hens may not take enough of the crushed oyster shell. But glad to hear that you have vet care now, and you should follow their advice, rather than mine, since I am not a vet. Let us know how she is doing the next few days. Many vets will use Baytril or a similar antibiotic when there is a possibility of oviduct infection or impacted oviduct. Baytril is banned in chickens, but the reason some still use it is that it can treat many different bacteria that cause oviduct infections, such as E.coli and mycoplasma.

 

[DyanneOv]

She might be trying to lay another egg. If she still is acting like that in the morning, you can try inserting a lubed finger inside her vent to check for an egg, but it might be a soft shell-less egg. The reason calcium was suggested was that some hens may not take enough of the crushed oyster shell. But glad to hear that you have vet care now, and you should follow their advice, rather than mine, since I am not a vet. Let us know how she is doing the next few days. Many vets will use Baytril or a similar antibiotic when there is a possibility of oviduct infection or impacted oviduct. Baytril is banned in chickens, but the reason some still use it is that it can treat many different bacteria that cause oviduct infections, such as E.coli and mycoplasma.

Will definitely do!