COULD CLEAR PUDDLE OF LIQUID IN NESTING BOX BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN EYP (PERITONITIS)?

[Fawn and Fam]

For 2 days in a row there has been a clear puddle of liquid in the nesting box (one w/ an egg and one w/out). Could this be anything other than EYP? I would hate to start them on antibiotics if it is something else. On the other hand we love our 2 pet chickens and want to act fast if needed. Help Please!

 

[KayTee]

Is the liquid thin like water, or thicker like the white of an egg? Is it cloudy, has it got bits in, or is it completely clear?

 

[Fawn and Fam]

The 1st day it was like water, the second day it was like the white of an egg. When I cleaned it up it was just like the white of an egg in consistency and clear however it had a slightly yellow hue- not bright yellow like yolk. I didn't notice any bits in it or being cloudy. What do you think it means?

 

[KayTee]

In my experience a chicken will very rarely foul the nest box, especially during the day time, but if your girls are quite young, and haven't been laying for long then it could well be just a hiccup in the egg laying process.

My girls took a few months to get the kinks out of their system. I had a few shelless eggs, and one day I was in the garden with the girls when one of them laid an egg as she was walking towards me! It had no shell, not even a membrane, and had obviously taken her completely by surprise.

I also had loose whites with no yolk once or twice. Occasionally I still get an odd shelless egg (my girls are 18 months old now), especially if they are stressed or something is up. If your girls are still acting normally (eating, moving around, pooping like they should, and not showing any other signs of illness) then it could be nothing too serious.

 

[Fawn and Fam]

My 2 girls are 6 months old and have been laying for 59 days. One of them at the beginning was having trouble w/ similar problems as yours (soft or shelless eggs, etc,). I thought it was because they were using up their "grower feed" and not getting the right nutrients to produce a hard shell. As soon as I switched she didn't have anymore problems and that was about 5 weeks ago. Also she would always drop the bad ones in the poop board. The only stress she may be under is her sister is stealing her sleeping spot on the roost when it is time to go to sleep. Sometimes she is able to get it back and sometimes not. Everything seems to be normal except she is eating grit like crazy and we found her laying on her back on top of a cement block w/ feet in the air. My son found her that way and said she was there for over an hour. Do you still think it could be just a hiccup?

 

[KayTee]

That's just wierd! Given the age of your girls I would have thought it could just be a kink at the beginning of laying, but to see her on her back for that long is so bizarre. Normally chickens don't like to be on their backs, because it restricts their breathing - their lungs are at the top of the body, and upside down the other organs press on them. (My girls absolutely hate being turned over, and fight to get up at once.)

I really don't have any more ideas for your girls - maybe someone else has had a similar experience. Like you I don't like giving antibiotics unnecessarily, but I understand that you are worried, and don't want to wait for a situation to become too bad to cure. Hopefully someone else will have some ideas. Sorry that I can't give you any more help