Duck laid soft, crumbly, bloody egg - what is this?!

[Duck Diva]

One of my ducks wouldn’t come to her coop tonight (we have 2 female and 1 male Ancona).

Finally when I shook the treat bag she VERY slowly started waddling over. When she went inside she didn’t want any treats. I went over to the spot where she was sitting a found a fully formed egg covered with blood. The eggshell was cracked everywhere but the inner membrane was intact. I’m a newbie and have no idea what to make of this. Please help!

 

[The Phantom]

@casportpony

 

[azygous]

Oh my. I can't say I've ever seen a more disaster of an egg. I don't know much about ducks, but they're poultry and lay eggs like chickens, so I'll tell you what I know about that.

When an egg comes out that corrupted, usually there's a pathological issue causing it. That means she's likely sick with a bacterial infection. If she's slow and lethargic, that's added evidence she's not well.

Chickens get infectious bronchitis. I don't know if ducks can get it, too, but they do suffer from a coronavirus which is very similar. It's a respiratory virus that causes it, though bacteria is what makes the duck sick. It needs to be treated with an oral antibiotic.

Hopefully, @casportpony will be by shortly to provide more information about treatment.

This is undoubtedly extremely contagious, so I would isolate the duck and give her warmth and keep her hydrated and comfortable.

 

[casportpony]

@azygous

Welcome to BYC! Is a vet an option? I ask because I think there is a very good chance your duck has a bacterial infection in her reproductive tract for which she will need antibiotics ASAP.

 

[chickens really]

How long has she been laying? Do you have a Drake too?
Blood on an egg isn't a real cause to be alarmed.

 

[casportpony]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this. It's been my experience that this amount of blood on the egg, the condition of the shell, and her lethargy, *are* a very real cause for concern and should never be ignored.

If this were my duck I would start the antibiotic Baytril, the anti-inflammatory meloxicam, and calcium gluconate.

The Baytril dose I would use is 5 mg per pound of body weight orally twice a day.
The meloxicam dose I would use is 0.1 mg per pound of body weight orally twice a day.
The calcium gluconate dose I would use is 50 mg per pound of body weight by injection once a day.

 

[Duck Diva]

This morning she seems fine! Maybe a little quieter than usual, but if I hadn’t been watching her closely I wouldn’t have noticed.

The girls have only been laying for 2-3 months and their eggs have always had dark yolks (brownish-green almost). The egg on the left is a store bought chicken egg. We’ve cooked with their eggs without any issues. They eat a lot of acorns and I’ve read that can cause the yolks to become discolored. Green eggs and ham, anyone?

We do have a drake and ten fertile eggs in an incubator (day 22).

Calcium, antibiotics and nsaids. I’ll see what I can dig up for her. Hopefully Franken-egg was just a fluke. Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies!

 

[azygous]

Acorns, hmm. You may want to read this. http://www.duckdvm.com/condition/acorn-toxicosis

 

[Duck Diva]

Acorns, hmm. You may want to read this. http://www.duckdvm.com/condition/acorn-toxicosis

Wow, interesting! For the record, I don’t feed them acorns. We have four large live oak trees in our yard alone and it seems to be a mast year.

 

[Duck Diva]

We’re in Florida, so the acorns aren’t buried under two feet of snow