Egg bound/egg yolk peritonitis/something else?

[Sarevan]

My hen didn't have any major abdomenal swelling, she did have a slightly squishy one in area below vent and behind ribs. She was 9mo when she died and I found smelly fluid and yolks around her intestines and organs.

I am beginning to think that her brood mate another white leghorn is also an internal layer as she is having soft eggs, dirty vent with yolk like dropping stuck to feathers, and vent gleet. She occasionally walks like a penguin when attempting to lay with tail down her vent pulsating. Exam of vent internally can feel no egg then she will drop a soft leathery egg. They all have access to grit and oyster shell, also add broken up shells to the mash I give in late afternoons. From what I have in forums sometimes the hen is very good at hiding EYP until the last stages.

I would suggest you give her calcium tablet so you know she is getting calcium, if she is egg bound will assist in her passing the egg. A warm bath soak helps too with gentle massage toward the vent tto help the egg move out. Other things that make these problems are internal parasites, worms, so good to also worm them. There are many things that can make a hen have difficulty laying.

I hope your girl gets better soon.

- Sara

 

[daniellea2912]

My hen didn't have any major abdomenal swelling, she did have a slightly squishy one in area below vent and behind ribs. She was 9mo when she died and I found smelly fluid and yolks around her intestines and organs.

I am beginning to think that her brood mate another white leghorn is also an internal layer as she is having soft eggs,  dirty vent with yolk like dropping stuck to feathers, and vent gleet. She occasionally walks like a penguin when attempting to  lay with tail down her vent pulsating. Exam of vent internally can feel no egg then she will drop a soft leathery egg. They all have access to grit and oyster shell, also add broken up shells to the mash I give in late afternoons. From what I have in forums sometimes the hen is very good at hiding EYP until the last stages.

I would suggest you give her calcium tablet so you know she is getting calcium, if she is egg bound will assist in her passing the egg. A warm bath soak helps too with gentle massage toward the vent tto help the egg move out. Other things that make these problems are internal parasites, worms, so good to also worm them. There are many things that can make a hen have difficulty laying.

I hope your girl gets better soon.

- Sara

Sorry to hear about the hen you lost
Well, she finally passed a shell-less egg. It wasn't rubbery or leathery.... just the thin membrane, white and yolk... I am going to give her some crushed up eggshells tomorrow though anyway, just as a calcium boost. They were treated for coccidia a month or 2 ago but maybe I should worm them just to be safe. Thanks for the pointers!

 

[casportpony]

Sorry to hear about the hen you lost

Well, she finally passed a shell-less egg. It wasn't rubbery or leathery.... just the thin membrane, white and yolk... I am going to give her some crushed up eggshells tomorrow though anyway, just as a calcium boost. They were treated for coccidia a month or 2 ago but maybe I should worm them just to be safe. Thanks for the pointers!

Give your hen some human calcium, that might help with her next egg. And yes, worm them with something like Safeguard (fenbendazole) or Valbezen (albendazole).

-Kathy

 

[daniellea2912]

Give your hen some human calcium, that might help with her next egg. And yes, worm them with something like Safeguard (fenbendazole) or Valbezen (albendazole).

-Kathy

Thanks for the pointers- I will give her a calcium pill. Is there egg withdraw period with those wormers?

Edited to remove typo

 

[daniellea2912]

Update on Hella-
Today she was pretty lethargic, not moving around a whole lot... She got a vitamin B shot to help with her appetite and energy (she wasn't showing interest in eating or drinking. I saw her pass a long thin membrane (looked like a straw) with egg white stuff inside. She looked horrible when I got off work (it was raining outside and she was standing hunched over in the doorway to the coop, soaking wet) So I called my DH to make sure he wasn't against having a chicken guest in our house. While I was in the phone she passed a weird shell-less egg. (Pictures below) she seemed tired afterwards and was basically sleeping standing up. I brought her home and set up a cage in our coolest room (60 degrees- a room we don't use or heat in the winter) while my husband held her. I sat her beside me on the couch while I ate a quick dinner and all the sudden she was up and alert and trying to peck off my plate. Now she's eating and drinking TONS, spilling her water and food bowls and currently wiping her beak off on my phone as I type this. I really thought I might lose her when I found her after work but I can't say she's not lively right now! I've fed her eggshells by hand and in some scrambled eggs I gave her. I also saw her eat some oyster shells, as well as a lot of her layer pellets. I'm not sure what's up with her, but at the moment she seems better at least

So, pictures- Saturday morning she laid a normal egg. Saturday evening she laid this after a lot of pushing and me helping it out a bit.

It came out in one piece but broke when it hit the ground.
She laid nothing Sunday but seemed so so. Not really normal energy but not really sickly.

Today she laid this

I've seen her lay the long tube-y membrane with egg white in it when she has acted weird in the past.

I'm not sure what it is causing this :/ any suggestions or ideas as to what it is, let me know...I'm at least glad she seems to be back to herself right now

 

[casportpony]

Have you given her the calcium pill yet?

-Kathy

 

[daniellea2912]

Edited to delete double post

 

[daniellea2912]

Have you given her the calcium pill yet?

-Kathy

Yes I crushed one up earlier and fed it to her in some scrambled egg. She wasn't much interested in food then but I think she ate about half of it? Maybe a little less than that I'm not for sure. It was my last pill on hand though. I have some calcium magnesium pills here but I wasn't sure if that was ok to give her

 

[casportpony]

Please go buy some liquid calcium gluconate at TSC or regular calcium from Walmart, Walgreens, etc, I don't know how much magnesium they can have. Then give her a whole pill. If you think it's too big, cut it in half and give her both pieces.

-Kathy

 

[daniellea2912]

Please go buy some liquid calcium gluconate at TSC or regular calcium from Walmart, Walgreens, etc, I don't know how much magnesium they can have. Then give her a whole pill. If you think it's too big, cut it in half and give her both pieces.

-Kathy

I'll pick up some tomorrow first thing. Found some oral liquid online at Wal-Mart and walgreens. How much calcium do I need to get into her?