- Jun 16, 2011
- 36
- 3
- 79
HI all-
I need some advice about one of my girls, Mia. I'm usually good at figuring out what's up with my flock and fixing it, but she's had me stumped for some time now, and I can't seem to google/ search the right term to explain what is up with her.
That basics: Easter Egger, approx 2.5 years old, Free Range, Deep Litter in Pine Shavings, Country Side Organic Layer, Free feeding, Free Choice Oyster Shell, Always clean water. I don't believe she was vaccinated, and she was wormed this winter with Wazine. She has three other flock mates, they're all laying fine.
So Mia has really never laid eggs quite right, she once laid a wadded up shell in her first laying season, and ever since had been a little off. She starts the laying season great, with normal size, green eggs. After about a month and a half, she starts laying Wind Eggs, and transitions to only wind eggs, and then primarily no eggs. I find them in the nesting box, and in the yard and under her roost. Sometimes I can tell under her roost that she has laid (or likely, leaked) a shelless egg, or just the Albumen. Sometimes they're shaped like a stomach, sometimes they have a hole in the bottom, sometimes they're fine.
I'm totally ok with her never laying another egg, the girls are pets more than a food source, and three laying hens provide plenty of eggs for the two of us. I just want her to be healthy.
The problem is that lately she's had a not-full crop, and it's been soft/ like silly putty (NOT sour crop- I've dealt with that in the past with her, and this is different, it's not like a water balloon, and doesn't smell the same.) but rarely full at night.
So then Monday I found her hiding off in the corner with her eyes closed, Lethargic and a completely empty crop. So I brought her in, put her in the A/C and fed her 1.5 cc of Nutri Drench, 1 cc of ACV, and about 4cc of water/ diluted NutriDrench. Within about 45 minutes she had perked up, and gobbled food until her crop was full! So I watched her all evening, she initially had watery, chalky elimination, and it transitioned to dark oily poos, to bright green chalky poos, the same color of her egg shells. Eventually she had bright green poos that had mostly digested food in it (Some sunflower seeds were whole but stained green.) And also watery poos with greenish urates. She's perked up and I'm putting her back in the coop tonight, but this is the third time she's been in the 'infirmary' in the last six months, always the same symptoms, then recovering, only to relapsein two months.
I'm just not sure what is wrong with her.
I'm attaching pictures of her strange eggs, and of her most recent poos during her stint in the Guest Bathroom.
Thanks for any advice you guys can give me! Like I said, I don't care if she doesn't lay eggs often, I just want her to be in good health.
Bright green poos from this morning. And Mia.
This is her chicken yard- complete with free WiFi in the coop (to open and close the door)!
This was found early this spring in the yard.
Who knows when this was- last summer/fall.
Another Strange one from last fall.
Many Wind Eggs!
Another angle of the strange egg- I've gotten four or five of these.
Again- Thanks for any help or clues you can give me as to what is wrong with her- I've been reading through all of my chicken health books and can't figure out what the deal is!
THANKS!
Jenn and Mia
I need some advice about one of my girls, Mia. I'm usually good at figuring out what's up with my flock and fixing it, but she's had me stumped for some time now, and I can't seem to google/ search the right term to explain what is up with her.
That basics: Easter Egger, approx 2.5 years old, Free Range, Deep Litter in Pine Shavings, Country Side Organic Layer, Free feeding, Free Choice Oyster Shell, Always clean water. I don't believe she was vaccinated, and she was wormed this winter with Wazine. She has three other flock mates, they're all laying fine.
So Mia has really never laid eggs quite right, she once laid a wadded up shell in her first laying season, and ever since had been a little off. She starts the laying season great, with normal size, green eggs. After about a month and a half, she starts laying Wind Eggs, and transitions to only wind eggs, and then primarily no eggs. I find them in the nesting box, and in the yard and under her roost. Sometimes I can tell under her roost that she has laid (or likely, leaked) a shelless egg, or just the Albumen. Sometimes they're shaped like a stomach, sometimes they have a hole in the bottom, sometimes they're fine.
I'm totally ok with her never laying another egg, the girls are pets more than a food source, and three laying hens provide plenty of eggs for the two of us. I just want her to be healthy.
The problem is that lately she's had a not-full crop, and it's been soft/ like silly putty (NOT sour crop- I've dealt with that in the past with her, and this is different, it's not like a water balloon, and doesn't smell the same.) but rarely full at night.
So then Monday I found her hiding off in the corner with her eyes closed, Lethargic and a completely empty crop. So I brought her in, put her in the A/C and fed her 1.5 cc of Nutri Drench, 1 cc of ACV, and about 4cc of water/ diluted NutriDrench. Within about 45 minutes she had perked up, and gobbled food until her crop was full! So I watched her all evening, she initially had watery, chalky elimination, and it transitioned to dark oily poos, to bright green chalky poos, the same color of her egg shells. Eventually she had bright green poos that had mostly digested food in it (Some sunflower seeds were whole but stained green.) And also watery poos with greenish urates. She's perked up and I'm putting her back in the coop tonight, but this is the third time she's been in the 'infirmary' in the last six months, always the same symptoms, then recovering, only to relapsein two months.
I'm just not sure what is wrong with her.
I'm attaching pictures of her strange eggs, and of her most recent poos during her stint in the Guest Bathroom.
Thanks for any advice you guys can give me! Like I said, I don't care if she doesn't lay eggs often, I just want her to be in good health.
Bright green poos from this morning. And Mia.
This is her chicken yard- complete with free WiFi in the coop (to open and close the door)!
This was found early this spring in the yard.
Who knows when this was- last summer/fall.
Another Strange one from last fall.
Many Wind Eggs!
Another angle of the strange egg- I've gotten four or five of these.
Again- Thanks for any help or clues you can give me as to what is wrong with her- I've been reading through all of my chicken health books and can't figure out what the deal is!
THANKS!
Jenn and Mia
