Help!! Have no idea what is going on with my hen

[Megpz]

Six days ago, my Ameraucauna hen (approx 1-yr-old) started acting sick (not eating or drinking, lethargic, etc). She had gorged herself on spilled mealworms the day before, so I didn’t worry too much, and within 48 hours she was back to normal. BUT, something bizarre is going on with her eggs. I hadn’t noticed her lay since she was sick, so I’d been keeping an eye on her, and a couple of days ago I found what I’m sure was a complete empty, soft, rolled up egg shell. She had laid an empty egg! And then today, I found what appears to be an un-formed egg - small, runny, with a thin membrane around it, and when I opened it there was just gnarly looking gunk and thin material that resembled egg yolk.

Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? I am totally baffled by it. She is still eating and drinking and acting mostly fine, but hasn’t laid a normal egg in about a week.


thank you!!

 

[MysteryChicken]

@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@azygous

 

[azygous]

I would say there's a good chance she's got a reproductive infection. It could possibly be related to that collapsed egg material you discovered.

She's young, so she has a chance at recovering from this if given an antibiotic such as amoxicillin. I would also give her calcium, one tablet daily, for the next few days to help expel any remaining egg material inside her.

 

[Megpz]

I would say there's a good chance she's got a reproductive infection. It could possibly be related to that collapsed egg material you discovered.

She's young, so she has a chance at recovering from this if given an antibiotic such as amoxicillin. I would also give her calcium, one tablet daily, for the next few days to help expel any remaining egg material inside her.

Thank you. I have a recent Bactrim rx that was prescribed for a different hen but I didn’t end up giving. Could I use that or should I take her back to the vet?
And, for the calcium: should I be getting regular calcium tablets for humans, or chicken-specific ones? I have no idea how I would get a tablet in her...
(Clearly a novice here)

 

[azygous]

People calcium. The Bactrim is a sulfa combo, and I would use it since you have it on hand.

Giving a pill to a chicken is easy. Just pop it into the beak (hard part is prying the beak open) and the chicken will easily swallow it.

Chickens don't have teeth because their digestive process starts after they swallow, unlike humans. Our digestive process begins with chewing. It's why chickens don't have teeth. They don't need them because the gizzard does the chewing for them. Therefore, chickens are able to swallow objects we might find difficult.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that I would give some calcium for a few days to see if it helps, but it looks like she is experiencing a reproductive problem.

 

[Megpz]

I agree that I would give some calcium for a few days to see if it helps, but it looks like she is experiencing a reproductive problem.

Thank you for the advice. Would you recommend the antibiotic as well, or give it a few days just with the calcium?

 

[Megpz]

People calcium. The Bactrim is a sulfa combo, and I would use it since you have it on hand.

Giving a pill to a chicken is easy. Just pop it into the beak (hard part is prying the beak open) and the chicken will easily swallow it.

Chickens don't have teeth because their digestive process starts after they swallow, unlike humans. Our digestive process begins with chewing. It's why chickens don't have teeth. They don't need them because the gizzard does the chewing for them. Therefore, chickens are able to swallow objects we might find difficult.

Thank you so much!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks like there may be some lash material, so I would try the antibiotic to see if that makes a difference.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/