HELP!! Egg broken inside my hen!!

[Lady_anar]

My easter egger laid an egg without shell today. Now she is in really bad shape: keep drooping her head and move very slowly. I found her dropping containing yolk! I attached two pictures here. She has been healthy all the time, and all of a sudden she is like this. No idea what happened! Please advise

 

[Lady_anar]

PLEASE HELP

 

[Mylied]

Ok. So lube up your finger with vaseline or water based lubricant. Coconut oil can work. Then gently fish out pieces. The oviduct goes at a slant up as you go into the vent. The intestines go down. You can wear rubber gloves if you want but I feel things better without. Some people do a few flushes of diluted betadine or a similar product. You gently squirt it in, angling upwards with a syringe. I'm not sure it's necessary. As soon as I removed the broken shell my hen was back to normal. Be careful because the shell can be sharp against their tender insides. Just go slow.

 

[Chickassan]

After you are finished exploring, id suggest giving her a crushed tums antacid or a rolaid for a quick calcium boost.
You can also give her a warm bath with epsom salts to further stimulate expulsion of any matter left inside.
Poor girl, she looks tired.

 

[Lady_anar]

Ok. So lube up your finger with vaseline or water based lubricant. Coconut oil can work. Then gently fish out pieces. The oviduct goes at a slant up as you go into the vent. The intestines go down. You can wear rubber gloves if you want but I feel things better without. Some people do a few flushes of diluted betadine or a similar product. You gently squirt it in, angling upwards with a syringe. I'm not sure it's necessary. As soon as I removed the broken shell my hen was back to normal. Be careful because the shell can be sharp against their tender insides. Just go slow.

Thank you very much for your reply. It is 7 pm in Seattle and I do not have a syringe. Any ways to remove the shells myself without a syringe? Will she hold on to it until tomorrow when I can send for a vet?

 

[Mylied]

Thank you very much for your reply. It is 7 pm in Seattle and I do not have a syringe. Any ways to remove the shells myself without a syringe? Will she hold on to it until tomorrow when I can send for a vet?

Yes, you use your finger. I was just saying some people like to flush them afterwards to give you all options. I personally do not. A warm epsom bath will help like Chickassan said. Not deep, just covering the legs.

 

[Chickassan]

Also don't be alarmed if you don't find a shell at all.
Laying shelless eggs are harder on a hens system than shelled ones and they'll often continue the action of laying long after the egg has passed which is very exhausting.
You could in theory find a shell, a membrane or nothing at all.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My easter egger laid an egg without shell today. Now she is in really bad shape: keep drooping her head and move very slowly. I found her dropping containing yolk! I attached two pictures here. She has been healthy all the time, and all of a sudden she is like this. No idea what happened! Please advise

Was it a shell less egg - meaning it still had a membrane or it was intact or did the contents of the egg spill into the oviduct.
Is she leaking egg from her vent?
Can you feel a hard shell inside the vent?

IF She's trying to pass the membrane and it won't stress her too much - give her a direct dose of vitamins along with 1 TUMS. Extra calcium is to help with contraction.
I actually usually leave mine in the run since separation stresses them more, but if you feel you need to bring her in, that would be o.k. too.

 

[Lady_anar]

Yes, you use your finger. I was just saying some people like to flush them afterwards to give you all options. I personally do not. A warm epsom bath will help like Chickassan said. Not deep, just covering the legs.

Thank you so much! It’s very kind of you to help out! I washed her in warm water for a while. I found something dropping out of her vent as attached. Is it the shell? She is still in a bad spirit after I pulled out this. She is sleeping in my house now. Would she be alright?

 

[Lady_anar]

Also don't be alarmed if you don't find a shell at all.
Laying shelless eggs are harder on a hens system than shelled ones and they'll often continue the action of laying long after the egg has passed which is very exhausting.
You could in theory find a shell, a membrane or nothing at all.

Thank you very much for your kind help. I found something like a membrane hanging out her vent. She seems really tired and fallen asleep. I’m worried sick because I read online that this would cause infection and lead to death. Wondering if I should go to a vet tomorrow.