Help, eggshells in poop!

[Rainieb]

Hello Everyone!

Today I noticed something pretty disturbing. One of my Rhode Island Red hens poop looked pink. When I examined it, there were eggshells in the poop. Does this mean there is an egg stuck in there somewhere, or is she eating the eggs? I give them crushed oyster shells as a free choice, so I'm not sure whats going on.

Thank you!
Rainieb

 

[azygous]

Egg shells are calcium carbonate, therefore water soluble and digestible. However, an egg collapsed inside a chicken can result in egg material, including shell, being pooped out.

This may be a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment with a calcium supplement to help the rest of the egg to be expelled and an antibiotic to combat bacteria colonizing the reproductive track.

If your hen still has egg remnants inside her, she will be trying to expel them. Look at her vent. If it's pulsating rapidly with a watery discharge drenching her butt feathers, I recommend wasting no time in beginning treatment.

 

[ChickNanny13]

@azygous Would a warm water Epsom Salt Bath/Soak help to expel whatever is left? What kind of antibiotic? Asking but hope I never have to deal with the situation

 

[azygous]

Absolutely a warm Epsom salt bath is very beneficial to relax the hen so she can expel the egg material and also to cleanse her vent and butt feathers. This helps prevent bacteria from traveling up the reproductive tract, aided by the contractions of the cloaca.

Just this month I treated a hen successfully for this issue. Lilith is a ten year old SLW that still tries to lay eggs but she is unable to build shells around them. It was only a matter of time before one of these shelless wonders got stuck inside and this one ruptured.

I saw her wet, wet butt when she was getting onto the perch at night. She was literally dripping liquid urates like a leaky faucet, and her vent was pulsating like mad. She also had a prolapse with a bit of bleeding.

I took her inside and gave her the salt water soak, a good half hour, then started her on 250mg of oral penicillin to head off bacteria growing in the egg still inside. The prolapse I treated with witch hazel compresses and alternated cortisone cream with Preparation H. Vetericyn wound spray was also part of the daily treatment routine.

It took six days for her to pass all the egg remnants and she got calcium citrate each day until all the egg cleared out. She was on penicillin for seven days. By the eighth day, her prolapse was resolved, too. She's made a full recovery.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Thank you for sharing ... You are one of few with the knowledge and expirence that I value

 

[Rainieb]

Egg shells are calcium carbonate, therefore water soluble and digestible. However, an egg collapsed inside a chicken can result in egg material, including shell, being pooped out.

This may be a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment with a calcium supplement to help the rest of the egg to be expelled and an antibiotic to combat bacteria colonizing the reproductive track.

If your hen still has egg remnants inside her, she will be trying to expel them. Look at her vent. If it's pulsating rapidly with a watery discharge drenching her butt feathers, I recommend wasting no time in beginning treatment.

Thank you! I didn’t see any watery discharge, but the vents on all my chickens pulsate so I’m not sure which one is doing the shell-filled poops. I guess I need to watch them individually when they poop and treat them.