Egg broke before being laid - help!

[GruveyChickens]

Just pulled a hen out of the nest box who had a portion of super thin egg shell (felt like stiff paper) hanging out of her vent. I pulled on it gently and out it came along with the egg white. When I picked her up out of the box, she pushed the yolk out. I just brought her inside and cleaned up her rear end (there was a large pile of feces she was sitting in in the nest box and it was all over her feathers). She's soaking in some warm water at the moment and seems to enjoy it. I'm not sure if all of the egg shell came out - should I be worried? Is there anything I should do to see if there's still a bit of shell in there? The warm water seems to have stimulated peristalsis as a small chunk of shell made its way into the bath tub at some point. Do I just wait things out and see what happens? I'm a relatively new chicken owner (almost a year) and I've not had this happen before. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[peopleRanimals2]

If there is egg shell still in her vent, it could cause serious damage. Do you have a vet nearby that would look at her?
You can put on gloves and lubricate her vent with some Vaseline. You can insert your finger a tiny bit, and you'll be able to feel any eggshell that is still in there, as long as it's not too deep in. If you feel some, you should try to gently remove it. Good luck, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Hope your hen feels better

 

[GruveyChickens]

The shell I pulled out was very soft - it wasn't a normally formed shell. It didn't have any sharp edges at all. It actually reminded me of paper. She's drinking and alert right now. Thanks for your reply!

 

[casportpony]

Did it look like this?

 

[GruveyChickens]

Yep!

 

[casportpony]

Yep!

It's a shell-less egg, which happens sometimes. Do your hens have access to free choice layer feed and oyster shell?

 

[GruveyChickens]

Yes, they have access to both. She seems to be doing fine right now. I'll dry off her feathers and re-introduce her to the flock.

 

[casportpony]

Yes, they have access to both. She seems to be doing fine right now. I'll dry off her feathers and re-introduce her to the flock.

Keep an eye one her.

 

[peopleRanimals2]

It happens sometimes. I have one hen that is just getting into the laying routine, and she has laid 4 shell-less eggs in a row! Not fun to clean up, let me tell you.

 

[GruveyChickens]

Keep an eye one her.

I will - thank you! I dried her off with the blow dryer and took her back out to the coop. She immediately got a drink and seemed content. I'll check on her again later.