Egg broken inside hen

[RayrayB]

Hi guys,
I have a two year old silkie who has had issues with egg binding for quite a while. Unfortunately, she lays very large eggs for her size and I have had to treat her twice before with warm soaks and calcium supplements to get her to pass the egg.
This time she was obviously in distress and the normal methods were not working, she appeared to be going into shock. I knew it was risky, but I tried pushing gently on her abdomen to move the egg some, and it broke. Some fluid (looked like the inside of the egg) passed, but no shell.

Is it possible she will pass the broken shell on her own? She is no longer in distress and is eating and drinking, but I know she is now high risk for infection. She has pooped quite a few times as well. What are the next steps I need to take?

 

[Pentatonchix]

@aart @CHlCKEN @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[azygous]

I'm sorry to say that once an egg breaks inside and there are shell fragments, things are usually going to get worse. Yes, she will be battling infection, but the danger is the shell fragments may perforate the tissues and this hen has an increased chance of dying from this.

Her prognosis isn't encouraging. But try the oral antibiotic and calcium to try to get the egg remains out of her. Give her plenty of fluids, and electrolytes for shock may be a good idea.

 

[RayrayB]

That's what I was afraid of. I feel terrible that I broke it, but she was no longer able to hold herself up at that point so I didn't think she was going to make it if I didn't help. Thank you for the quick reply.

 

[azygous]

If it's any consolation, I've made mistakes like that, too, and my chicken died. There's too much to know about chickens not to make mistakes trying to learn and care for them.

 

[RayrayB]

Thanks. It's always your favorites too.
She ate this morning and is scratching around the house, praying for a miracle but the medical professional in me knows it's not good

 

[azygous]

Don't give up. There's a chance the material can work its way out. Keep giving the calcium and keep her hydrated. She will definitely need an antibiotic. Infection is a given when this happens. Ask around at pet stores for Fish Mox250mg.

 

[CHlCKEN]

Have hope. My own hen made a full recovery when it happened to her.

 

[CHlCKEN]

You can work with her at home, but you may want to look into the vet as an option.

 

[CHlCKEN]

It’s good that the egg contents were able to pass. In my situation, that was not the case, and it was several days before it was all flushed out. It ended up blocking up her both her systems.