Eggbound after sour crop -> euthanize?

[Morrigan]

@rebrascora Thank you for taking the time to write such an informative post. I've been reading this thread as my hatchery birds are aging and I was surprised by how many started developing reproductive problems after only a couple of years.

 

[rebrascora]

@Morrigan

Hi

I'm sorry to hear that your hatchery birds are developing problems like this at a relatively young age. Unfortunately there are other health issues associated with buying from a breeder (Marek's Disease for one) which may be as bad or worse, so I'm not necessarily advocating buying from a breeder, but just making people aware of the reason why these reproductive problems are so common.
Very few people seem to realise that eggs are actually a seasonal product like everything else. We are so used to being able to buy them whenever we want them, that we assume hens naturally lay eggs throughout the year and pop them out every day, but it is mankind's selective breeding and tampering with their environment that has lead to this situation. Birds naturally lay eggs to raise chicks, so they lay a few and then go broody to hatch them. Laying day after day, week after week without a break is bound to result in system failures sooner or later. It is why the industry culls egg layers at 18 months or 30 months, if they are lucky.

All we can do is care for our chickens as well as we can, be knowledgeable about these issues and make informed decisions in the best interests of the birds, when they are necessary.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Morrigan]

@Morrigan

Hi

I'm sorry to hear that your hatchery birds are developing problems like this at a relatively young age. Unfortunately there are other health issues associated with buying from a breeder (Marek's Disease for one) which may be as bad or worse, so I'm not necessarily advocating buying from a breeder, but just making people aware of the reason why these reproductive problems are so common.
Very few people seem to realise that eggs are actually a seasonal product like everything else. We are so used to being able to buy them whenever we want them, that we assume hens naturally lay eggs throughout the year and pop them out every day, but it is mankind's selective breeding and tampering with their environment that has lead to this situation. Birds naturally lay eggs to raise chicks, so they lay a few and then go broody to hatch them. Laying day after day, week after week without a break is bound to result in system failures sooner or later. It is why the industry culls egg layers at 18 months or 30 months, if they are lucky.

All we can do is care for our chickens as well as we can, be knowledgeable about these issues and make informed decisions in the best interests of the birds, when they are necessary.

Best wishes

Barbara

So, so true. Through selective breeding, we've definitely turned chickens into something they are not meant to be. I still love raising chickens, even knowing this, however. I do the best I can by them. I don't use supplemental lighting and I try, the the greatest extent practicable, to let broody hens hatch out eggs. I feel very fortunate to have 6 hatchery chickens approaching 5 years old, with 3 of them still laying well and near the top of the pecking order.

The hard lesson for me has been how many reproductive problems hens can get and how good they can be at hiding them. It's so difficult to make the decision to end a chicken's life, particularly since you are almost always making educated guesses, rather than knowing "for sure" what the situation is. I really appreciate posters like @LindaNL for sharing their stories and helping give me the knowledge and will to do the right thing.

 

[speckledhen]

You did very well with that. Yes, in the oviduct, it's salpingitis. I've seen egg gunk solid in the oviduct and in the abdomen both at the same time. It really is sort of a "distinction without a difference", as the saying goes. It's solidified egg material mixed with infection and whether in the oviduct or the abdomen, or both, it's terminal. And we don't know which it is until she's opened up on a table, sadly. Sorry for your loss.

It just galls me when the first thing recommended for chickens who stop laying in late fall is "put a light on 'em". It only contributes to the problem we see in those photos and ones I've posted. Bad enough without lights pushing them beyond what they should be doing.