Egg Bound?? Or something else?? ** An Egg finally **

[patman75]

I think I’m dealing with an egg bound hen from what I have read. I’m no expert so please let me know.

A week ago ago my White Leg Horn (Sugar) laid her first double yoker. She has been laying for 7-8 weeks now and consistently 6 eggs a week. She has not laid an egg since the double yoker. I started getting a little worry but she seemed full of energy and looked normal when I let them out to free range.

UNTIL This evening. She wasn't tackling the other hens to get treats and did care to eat any grass when I moved the tractor and she just stood by her self and not doing much of anything. So I started preping my chicken ER for an egg bound Sugar.

I then noticed she was in the nest boxes for a while and then she came back down. I went to check to see if she laid an egg and just then she expelled a HUGE soft shell egg

There was one large soft shell inside another bigger soft shell. It look like enough material for 3 eggs.

After all the other chickens ate it she seemed to perk up and start eating some grass, treats and pellets.

So I'm hoping that was all it was and she is over it...
OR
maybe she has been laying soft shells all week and I'm just never around to see them before the other chickens eat it.

What do you think?

 

[patman75]

Anyone?

 

[chick818]

I have been having a problem with my hen too. However, she has not yet laid her first egg. The symptoms of egg-bound hens seems to vary. I have been researching it all week. Mine hen is walking unstable. But continues to eat and keep up with the others. I did read that after the egg passes, the hen should return to normal. (if that's the problem) You might want to make sure she is getting enough osyter shells or calcium, as I believe that is what helps to harden the shell.

Good Luck.....

 

[patman75]

well Sugar was doing Ok yesterday. today she is trying to lay an egg for at least 5 hours and is not doing to well.

I have her inside, I read about using a covered cage and humidity to help get the egg out. I'm trying that right now

Does anyone have any advice??

 

[patman75]

The humidity trick worked and she passed a soft shell egg. She has perked up also.

Why would it be so hard to pass a soft shell egg? I'm reading up on the possiblities but could use some direction.

Thanks

 

[chick818]

I am not sure why, but I had read that sometimes they get an egg without a shell and that is said to be very hard for them to pass. I am really not sure why. Mine has not laid yet, but we are still not sure that is her problem. I did see that she seemed a little better today. Hopefully life in our coops is starting to look up.... Hope someone with a bit more knowledge on the soft shell egg can give you more advice.

 

[patman75]

While cleaning the tractor out I noticed there was another soft shell in the nest box that sugar was trying to lay an egg in.

That means she had to pass 2 shoft shells before she felt good, one in the nest box and 1 inside in the humidity pen I made up with a dog cage on paint cans with a vaporizer under it and a banket over it.

They have oyster shells to eat.

I'm wondering if there is a large egg stuck in there and the she is passing the soft shells around it???

I home all this week from work so I will be able to keep a close eye on her. Should I be taking her to a vet if this keeps up? My local vet also takes care of livestock.

 

[chick818]

I am not sure, as I am fairly new to the chicken world. Mine are about 5 months old and they have been my first experience. However, I love to google search and read the threads on BYC. I wish that someone else with some more experience would pick up on this thread. Now that she is passing the eggs, maybe if you wait until tonight (I find BYC has a lot of buzz between like 7:30 to 9:30 pm. RE Post something under a different title. Like " why is my hen laying soft shell eggs"? Hopefully you'll get someone with more knowledge. Has she perked up otherwise? Maybe she is picking around the oyster shells.....

 

[AmyBella]

Hi Patman... unfortunatly I am no expert, but I am having a similar problem. My red sex link has been laying for about eight weeks and yesterday makes the third time she has been bound with soft-shelled eggs! Each time I give her extra vitamins and calcium and she normalizes after a few days of soft shells, but then two weeks later we are back where we started! I have not had any problems with the other birds. They have free choice oyster shell, fresh pasture every day, and high-quality organic layer pellets, plus treats offered sparingly each day.

I may post a new topic on this and I am going to do some more research right now. Hopefully, this won't become a recurring problem for Sugar.

I was advised to give my girl one crushed up regular Tums the first time she was egg bound. Have you supplemented Sugar at all?

 

[patman75]

No supplements other than oyster shells and treats. This morning I noticed she was in a nest box but after a few hours no egg was passed. She seems fine today and was out free ranging with the other hens active as ever.

If she sticks with egg bound schudule I predict she will be out of it tomorrow and I will have to give her the steam treatment again.