Eggs with no shell

[rusty_038]

I have a Golden Seabright Bantam hen that is 5 1/2 years old. She is having egg laying problems. Her last 3 eggs have been laid at night and there is no shell (making a big mess). She seems to be acting normally and is eating. Crushed oyster shell is available in the pen at all times. She has had this problem since recently losing her best friend. A Red Rock mix, that died from cancer of the reproductive tract. We have since added a couple of new birds and had some infection issues the first couple of weeks. But a trip to the vet and a series of antibiotics (Baytril) have solved that problem. During the time she was ill, she was not laying. Now she is starting back up and the eggs are coming out with no shell. Any advice out there?

rusty_038

 

[caralouise1974]

Quote:
Sounds suspciously like Infectious Bronchitis to me. Did they vet tell you what the infection actually was? If it was IB, she might have these problems on an ongoing basis, and her egg laying may never return to normal (IB can damage the uterus and shell gland), but there shouldn't be any other lasting effects.

 

[rusty_038]

The vet took a blood sample and said the results showed it was a virus, probably transmitted by our new chickens. She was really down when she was sick. (lethargic, tail down, not talking, runny poop). She seems to be back to normal, except for the egg laying.

rusty_038

 

[caralouise1974]

IB is caused by a virus. It is, in fact, the most contagious virus to affect chickens, if not the very most common (but still common enough to be seriously prevalent in backyard flocks).

Was the vet any more specific at all?

 

[rusty_038]

No he was not specific. He just prescribed the Baytril for 10 days and to bring her back in if the problem lingered. The vet I use is one of 6 bird specialists in CA and the only one in the LA area. I have assume he knows what he is doing. The previous vet I visited almost killed one of my chickens with an incorrect diagnosis and treatment. Thank you for putting a name on the ailment. Now that I think about it, one of the new chickens had a respiratory infection (cough) when we got it. If she continues to have egg problems, I will have to take her back to the vet.

rusty_038

 

[NYREDS]

I have to wonder about Vets [& human Drs] who prescribe antibiotics, like Baytril, for a virus. It's this over use of antibiotics that is resulting in stronger & stronger bugs.

 

[caralouise1974]

Thing is, IB can make poultry susceptible to other bacterial diseases such as e-coli and mycoplasma. Giving the vet the benefit of the doubt, that may have been what he was treating for (although Tylan would have been the correct antibiotic for mycoplasma in any case, not Baytril).

We really do need to know what this 'virus' was - can you perhaps call the vet and get him to refer back to your hen's notes?

If it was IB, there's really not a huge amount you can do to correct any damage she sustained to her reproductive tract, short of drastic surgery which I would not reccommend if the laying issues aren't causing her health to be compromised.

However, you can encourage more 'normal' egg laying by doing the following: make sure she is always well supported with calcium (a powder supplement such as Nutrobal given daily is very good for hens with compromised shell glands), minimise any handling of her (particularly in the early morning when she could have an egg forming in the uterus/shell gland), ensure she gets balanced nutrition and definitely avoid letting her get overweight, try and find a feed with low levels of soya in it (protein derived from fish sources is much better as it does not mimic the action of oestrogen, which soya protein does), and watch her very carefully for signs of egg binding (which is much more likely with soft shelled eggs), or eggs breaking inside her (she will need antibiotics/anti-inflammatories if a breakage occurs).

She should be fine in every other way though, if it was indeed IB, and as I said before, she cannot contract the virus again, although she, and any other affected birds, will always be carriers (and therefore infectious), so bear that in mind if you plan to bring new birds into the flock.