Did I get dealt a crap hand or….?

[Dynamissa]

My girls are 1 year and 4.5 months.

We had 6 when we started. Lost a girl who showed very early maturation signs early (looked like a whole cockerel at 8 weeks, first laid at 13 weeks. Liver hemmhorage at 5 mins months)

Now one of my girls, who has been laying and being normal, stopped laying for 5 days. Still visited the box though. then stopped eating / drinking / moving. Brought her to the avian vet here — her abdomen was filled with proteinaceous fluid. They drained 250ml of yolk out of her. (?!)

I’ve got another girl who always had meat spots in her eggs but she laid daily up until a couple months ago .. it was the nasty heat wave in the northeast with high humidity and high temps. I thought that was the problem. Suddenly her eggs were GARGANTUAN and the shell was messed up. Then they were thin shelled. Then shelless. Then breaking on the way out.

As of a week or so she hasn’t laid at all and now she dropping feathers. She’s acting normal right now but my other girl was as well right up until she wasn’t. No weird posture no weird poop no nothing.

Is she internally laying too?!

I feed them nutrena layer with oyster shell free choice. They get a couple handfuls of BSFL divided up between the five of them sometimes.

Is it something I’m doing?? They’re hatchery birds - Is this a bad hand or something? Like really bad? I’m distraught.

The vet will do the implant but it’s $360 here and they say it may work anywhere for 2 weeks to 2 months. I can’t do that, as much as I’d like to. These girls are basically pets, my 6 year olds favorite animal. She named them all… but we just can’t pull that for such a flaccid guarantee… and now I’m concerned I spent a small fortune on 5 extra days with the confirmed internal layer.

I don’t know what to do or why I’m freaking cursed. These girls are hard bonded with me and snuggly as hell.
I’m attached. I’m compromised. I don’t give a damn about the eggs, I just want them to not have such a shitty premature death..

 

[nuthatched]

What breeds are they?

 

[Dynamissa]

What breeds are they?

i knew I forgot something in my spiral.


The internal layer is a runted Buff Orpington who, a week earlier was flying up onto people’s shoulders.


The one with the funky eggs is a Delaware. She looks… genetically not sound (strange wing feathers that stick out, not great markings)

 

[ChickenChick46]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with all of this. Sometimes it does seem like nothing is going right. I've only had my chicks for about 5 weeks, so I can't offer advice. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I'm wishing you luck.

 

[BDutch]

So sorry to hear about your troubles.

Im not sure at all, but it crossed my mind maybe its a disease that caused the shell problems and internal laying.
@Eggcessive?

 

[SkyAJK]

I am sorry to hear about reproductive issue with your flock.

The duration effectiveness of the implant is depending on the individual bird.
You might try to call around to see if other vet will do it for better price.

My Isa Brown hen is on her 4th implants now.
This 4th implant was effective for 5months. Her 2nd implant lasted just 2 months. My mix breed first implant was effective for 5 months. Now she is back nesting, but no egg.