Chicken uninterested in food, not laying, and deflated last egg

[SuburbanGoldenRooster]

Long-time reader, first-time poster. I have a small flock of 6 buff Orpingtons and last week on Friday I noticed that one of the girls was laying down a lot and eventually she made her way into the nesting box and stayed there ALL day. I suspected maybe a bound egg but could not feel anything near her vent. I brought her inside that night to monitor her progress and we started soaking her in Epsom salt baths every 4 hours to try and work out the suspected egg.

I had only gotten to the second Epsom salt bath (now Saturday morning) and we noticed something peculiar in her temporary pen. I got on some gloves and it was a crumpled up eggshell that wasn't even hard. It looked like a deflated balloon or an unraveled condom (sorry but that's the only image that comes to mind.) It was like someone opened one end, sucked out all the egg white and yolk to leave a soggy carapace. Saturday was the worst day too. Rachel won't eat very much and really wouldn't drink much. She would close her eyes and open her beak slightly but I didn't notice any coughing, sneezing, or wheezing in her breath. It doesn't appear she was (or is) fighting for air and she not lifting her wings as far as I can tell.

I started her on electrolytes and Nutri-drench and I offered up her crumble food with oyster shells mixed in just in case she was low on calcium per the soft egg. She still is not eating very much, just a few pecks here and there. She is drinking regularly the electrolyte water with Nutri-drench. I've just started to monitor her weight to make sure she's not losing weight but only 1 reading at 2.27kg. (She is the biggest bird in my flock.)

We're still giving her daily Epsom salt soaks just in case there is another egg coming down the shoot that would be egg bound and also, if the previous egg did break inside her, I figure the Epsom salt soak might clean out her cloaca a little bit. I'm just worried because she's still a bit listless, not eating regularly, nor laying and she sits around a lot. Anything else I can do to encourage eating and healing and get her back on track? Yesterday she showed the biggest improvement but not much improvement today.

Lastly, she is defecating and it seems a bit watery. I have also offered her some cornmeal to see if that will dry up a bit. She gets quite a bit of poo on her tail feathers below her vent. The Epsom baths help with that but just another observation. No blood in the stool so I didn't suspect coccidiosis or another parasite. We live in Michigan.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she is experiencing a reproductive disorder. She could have a problem with her shell gland in the oviduct, or possibly an inflammation called salpingitis. When they have a shell-less egg in the process, they can be hard to pass and can make the hen feel weak and poorly. Look for another one to be coming soon. It helps to give a dose of human calcium with vitamin D3, and I would give one each day for 3 days. Encourage her to drink water, and the Nutridrench is good to give orally.

 

[SuburbanGoldenRooster]

It sounds like she is experiencing a reproductive disorder. She could have a problem with her shell gland in the oviduct, or possibly an inflammation called salpingitis. When they have a shell-less egg in the process, they can be hard to pass and can make the hen feel weak and poorly. Look for another one to be coming soon. It helps to give a dose of human calcium with vitamin D3, and I would give one each day for 3 days. Encourage her to drink water, and the Nutridrench is good to give orally.

Thanks, Eggcessive!

I did make a slurry from her normal crumbles and some tepid water and she's gobbling that down! I'm so thankful. I'll add some crushed calcium and D3 supplements to that tomorrow. I also picked up some syringes just in case I need to give her something orally, but I'm hoping that doesn't need to happen.

 

[SnugglesTheChicken]

Long-time reader, first-time poster. I have a small flock of 6 buff Orpingtons and last week on Friday I noticed that one of the girls was laying down a lot and eventually she made her way into the nesting box and stayed there ALL day. I suspected maybe a bound egg but could not feel anything near her vent. I brought her inside that night to monitor her progress and we started soaking her in Epsom salt baths every 4 hours to try and work out the suspected egg.

I had only gotten to the second Epsom salt bath (now Saturday morning) and we noticed something peculiar in her temporary pen. I got on some gloves and it was a crumpled up eggshell that wasn't even hard. It looked like a deflated balloon or an unraveled condom (sorry but that's the only image that comes to mind.) It was like someone opened one end, sucked out all the egg white and yolk to leave a soggy carapace. Saturday was the worst day too. Rachel won't eat very much and really wouldn't drink much. She would close her eyes and open her beak slightly but I didn't notice any coughing, sneezing, or wheezing in her breath. It doesn't appear she was (or is) fighting for air and she not lifting her wings as far as I can tell.

I started her on electrolytes and Nutri-drench and I offered up her crumble food with oyster shells mixed in just in case she was low on calcium per the soft egg. She still is not eating very much, just a few pecks here and there. She is drinking regularly the electrolyte water with Nutri-drench. I've just started to monitor her weight to make sure she's not losing weight but only 1 reading at 2.27kg. (She is the biggest bird in my flock.)

We're still giving her daily Epsom salt soaks just in case there is another egg coming down the shoot that would be egg bound and also, if the previous egg did break inside her, I figure the Epsom salt soak might clean out her cloaca a little bit. I'm just worried because she's still a bit listless, not eating regularly, nor laying and she sits around a lot. Anything else I can do to encourage eating and healing and get her back on track? Yesterday she showed the biggest improvement but not much improvement today.

Lastly, she is defecating and it seems a bit watery. I have also offered her some cornmeal to see if that will dry up a bit. She gets quite a bit of poo on her tail feathers below her vent. The Epsom baths help with that but just another observation. No blood in the stool so I didn't suspect coccidiosis or another parasite. We live in Michigan.

Something to try for food, I once had a sick chicken. Try putting their daily pellets in some water, let it soak for 10 min, then once it is mushy, empty out any remaining water, then see if she will try it. I hope for the best.