chicken laid fingery membrane and yolky slime

[t8rtot]

My chicken, a one year old RIR, looked as though she was struggling to lay, we were concerned that she was egg bound (fluffed up, and dropped butt like she was going to poo).

She started acting "funny" at 4pm, and went in the nest box around 6pm. We had already tried lubricant and checking her cloaca around 5:30, to see if there was an egg stuck.

We went to town around 6:00, and came back just now (9:45) and there is some yellow yolky slime and a membrane that looks almost like the finger of a latex glove.

She looked really uncomfortable, and is still in the nest box. What do you think? Help!

 

[ChooksChick]

Hey, Lady! Got your tweet.

Look at this thread , since I didn't get a good look at it and you'll know what looks most like the offending monstrosity.

My guess is that it was just a 'whoopsie' in the system, not an internal laying issue or a sloughed oviduct lining. Give her some chunks of bread with olive oil and lots of access to oyster shell at will. I would feed the girls lots of probiotic-filled yogurt, too, as a calcium and gut immunity boost.

I have had odd things follow thunderstorms and variable weather- I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a fluke. Keep your eye on her, though. If she's still umcomfy tomorrow, give me a call.

 

[t8rtot]

Thanks - I hope it's just a fluke. It didn't help that we came home and checked on her (still in the nest box) and not 5 minutes later had a HUGE thunder boom. Weird monstrosity for sure. We'll check on her in the morning and try bread and olive oil, I'll check on their oyster shell, too. Thanks again!

 

[welasharon]

I have a cuckoo marans that evidently needs extra calcium to keep from having that happen. I make sure to grind up egg shells and put them out for her and she hasn't had any more issues with rubbery thin shelled eggs. She had several that busted inside her and then once I started really giving her calcium extras (cottage cheese and yogurt) the eggs started having shells...thin brittle with almost no color on them...to now back to nice, hard, dark colored eggs.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
I concur- some girls don't do as well with oyster shell as with eggshell. I find that if I use eggshells roasted and crushed as a topping for my Marans' feed, their eggshells are significantly darker than if I give them oyster shell, too. One Marans has thin-shelled eggs even with oyster, but NEVER if I remember to give them the eggshell dressing. It may be a matter of an anomaly, or it may be an absorption issue with that girl. If you haven't seen anything prior to this, I'd guess anomaly.

 

[welasharon]

I tried the oyster shell and she wouldn't touch it so I went back to egg shells and the other.
sharon

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
I think sometimes they know what's good for them better than we do! Don'cha agree? They amaze me at times.

 

[welasharon]

Very true! I just wish they could speak English (or even Spanish)! I slacked up on the egg shells without realizing it and like to have gotten her in a bad state. Now she is right back on track and her eggs are dark, hard and even colored! When I first started giving her the shells again she would gobble them up frantically! I felt so bad.
sharon

 

[t8rtot]

She's in and out of the nest box this morning. So she must feel like she needs to do something. She ate a little of the special breakfast that I made for her: bread cubes, eggs, egg shell, olive oil and strawberries.... and husband said she drank a bunch of water and had a watery Poo. She's better than yesterday, but not back to herself.

She's got a major poopy backside... can I was her off somehow? Jot today - it would be too traumatic.

 

[welasharon]

actually mine like the baths. I think it is soothing.
sharon