Egg bound hen?? *Pics*

[bhawk-23]

Late this afternoon I noticed my hen sitting in the yard with her rump feathers really high for a brief period. At roosting time she went into a nest box and alternated between standing and laying with her rump feathers high. When I last checked I saw her stand up and poo.
Some info on hen: 7-8 month old ISA Brown, almost daily layer since about 17 weeks, laid an egg yesterday, none today.
Behavior: normal until late afternoon.
Currently: She is roosting inside the coop which is not her usual place. All the ladies roost in the run together.

My questions:
Do I need to watch for anything in particular?
Any treatment needed?

I can bring her to a vet if it's needed.
Thank you for anything you can offer!

First picture is of her rump feathers up.
Next pictures are what she passed. A lot of poo and a shriveled up soft egg shell.

 

[MysteryChicken]

@azygous
@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive

 

[azygous]

The most pertinent question is how is she behaving now? Is she back to her old chipper, active, vocal self? Or is her behavior still similar to what it was prior to passing the egg membrane?

I see she's still in the coop. That tells me she still has egg material she needs to expel. Give her a calcium tablet now. Yes, even though she's bedded down. She needs to move that material out so it doesn't block her and kill her.

 

[bhawk-23]

The most pertinent question is how is she behaving now? Is she back to her old chipper, active, vocal self? Or is her behavior still similar to what it was prior to passing the egg membrane? Is she roosting with the others or is she is still in the coop?

She is still inside the coop though she moved down to the shavings in the corner. Her eyes are bright and alert but tail still held very high. I don't see a definite contraction or straining of any sort.
She is fed layer pellets and in the last week all flock during the day and layer feed early morning until chicks come out. She has access to 2 bowls of oyster shell in different locations. They free range all day.

 

[bhawk-23]

@azygous

Thank you! I have tums 750 mg, is this ok? How do I give it to her if she won't eat it? Sorry, very new here. I pray it's not like pilling a cat

 

[bhawk-23]

@azygous

I went out to feed the tums and she passed a whole rubbery egg! But she is still standing in egg laying form and I can see some small contractions. Should I still give her a tums?

 

[azygous]

Yes, give her the Tums. Stick it right into her beak. She will swallow it.

Very often a hen that passes a shell-less membrane egg will pass another complete egg soon after. It happens far more often than people think. It's not good.

Tums is calcium carbonate and perfectly appropriate, but I prefer calcium citrate because it is the most quickly and easily absorbed of all the forms of calcium. During a reproductive crisis such as this, quick absorption is what we want so the contractions can get into high gear fast and move the egg material out of the hen before it starts to cause infection.

The collapsed membrane of the first egg concerns me. There could still be remnants of it in the oviduct. She needs to get that cleaned out quickly so infection doesn't start. That would likely cancel the rest of her egg laying career if not the rest of her life.

 

[azygous]

Let the hen tell you with her behavior when she's passed all of the material. She will resume her normal behavior, and hopefully lay normally again. Meanwhile, you need to give her a calcium tablet every day to be sure all the material in the oviduct has passed out, and the calcium will also help regulate her egg cycle so she's back to one egg per 25 hour cycle. Do this until her eggs are consistently normal, then you can stop.

I recommend to everyone who keeps laying hens to buy a bottle of calcium citrate with D3 and keep it in the coop or run to give to a hen the minute you observe a possible egg laying issue. When I see a hen on a nest straining and not getting anywhere, I pop a calcium tablet into her beak and it gets the ball rolling and the problem resolved before the hen becomes sick with fatigue, dehydration, and possible egg rupture and infection.

 

[bhawk-23]

@azygous

Thank you so much for the help and information! I gave her the tums for tonight. She was feisty like normal and jumped up to roost afterwards. I found these with a quick search, do they look like a good vitamin to have on hand? Do you have a preferred brand you use? I order vitamin monthly so I can get something local tomorrow but order a specific one for future.
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-calcium-citrate-d-caplets-prodid-145485

Thanks again, I much appreciate your help

 

[azygous]

Yes, perfect! That will work.

Glad your hen is returning to normal behavior. It's definitely a good sign.