Help hen with pasty butt?!

[Pebbles25]

Got this today! How much should I give her?

 

[Pebbles25]

Huge update: She was moving around a lot more this morning. Went to clean her crate out and found an egg membrane, which explains why she is looking better. So I’m guessing I don’t need to give her any rennies? Her crop is empty now and she is eating again. So I’m now gradually accustoming her back to outside again. Here’s hoping she won’t kick her water over and kick wood shavings out into my house more than she’s done already

 

[MarlaMac]

Huge update: She was moving around a lot more this morning. Went to clean her crate out and found an egg membrane, which explains why she is looking better. So I’m guessing I don’t need to give her any rennies? Her crop is empty now and she is eating again. So I’m now gradually accustoming her back to outside again. Here’s hoping she won’t kick her water over and kick wood shavings out into my house more than she’s done already

Glad she passed something. Was it a complete membrane? Was there any egg material in with the membrane? If it broke inside you want to get the rest of the egg material out. Leaving it in can cause infection in the reproduction tract,

See my previous post on the Rennies. Not sure how the magnesium cabornate will affect the calcium carbonate. It talks about absorption, so it still may cause the contractions needed to expel any material still in her tract. But the soft shell membrane shows that she is not absorbing the calcium she already takes.

You have to make that decision. As far as dosage - tums has anywhere between 500 & 1000 mg per tablet. Rennies say they have 680. I usually see people on this forum say take 1/2 tablet if tums is used, so I would think the same with rennies for 5-7 days.

Any luck getting any calcium carbonate and any local markets where you are that do not have the magnesium carbonate with it? That is what I would aim for. I just looked up calcium citrate on amazon UK - I see why you are hestitant. Very expensive where you are. But, that is what I would get for her. If you can find just the carbonate at a local market, that would be better than the rennies.

As @Wyorp Rock stated, you could just crush up some eggshells (cook the in the oven for a quick 15 mins at 300 to zap any bateria and make them more easily grindable). Mix that in yogurt and give to her. A typical eggs shell has about 400 mg of calcium. If she enjoys eggs, you could cook one for her and add the ground up egg shell and she should gobble it down. Again, I would do that for 5-7 days to help reset her reproductive tract.

Hope she continues to improve!

 

[Pebbles25]

Glad she passed something. Was it a complete membrane? Was there any egg material in with the membrane? If it broke inside you want to get the rest of the egg material out. Leaving it in can cause infection in the reproduction tract,

See my previous post on the Rennies. Not sure how the magnesium cabornate will affect the calcium carbonate. It talks about absorption, so it still may cause the contractions needed to expel any material still in her tract. But the soft shell membrane shows that she is not absorbing the calcium she already takes.

You have to make that decision. As far as dosage - tums has anywhere between 500 & 1000 mg per tablet. Rennies say they have 680. I usually see people on this forum say take 1/2 tablet if tums is used, so I would think the same with rennies for 5-7 days.

Any luck getting any calcium carbonate and any local markets where you are that do not have the magnesium carbonate with it? That is what I would aim for. I just looked up calcium citrate on amazon UK - I see why you are hestitant. Very expensive where you are. But, that is what I would get for her. If you can find just the carbonate at a local market, that would be better than the rennies.

As @Wyorp Rock stated, you could just crush up some eggshells (cook the in the over for a quick 15 mins at 300 to zap any bateria and make them more easily grindable). Mix that in yogurt and give to her. A typical eggs shell has about 400 mg of calcium. If she enjoys eggs, you could cook one for her and add the ground up egg shell and she should gobble it down. Again, I would do that for 5-7 days to help reset her reproductive tract.

Hope she continues to improve!

I think she’s always laid funky shaped eggs with wrinkles on etc. It looked like the whole membrane. There was also a lot of liquid in the bedding, so she has been expelling the actual yolk and egg white. I also saw that coming out of her on Saturday night. How will I know if she’s got an infection? I will have a further look on amazon. I might just do the egg shells, I haven’t seen any shell so I think maybe she just laid a soft egg?

 

[MarlaMac]

I think she’s always laid funky shaped eggs with wrinkles on etc. It looked like the whole membrane. There was also a lot of liquid in the bedding, so she has been expelling the actual yolk and egg white. I also saw that coming out of her on Saturday night. How will I know if she’s got an infection? I will have a further look on amazon. I might just do the egg shells, I haven’t seen any shell so I think maybe she just laid a soft egg

Infection can present in many ways. Here is a caption from google.

Reproductive tract infections in chickens, such as salpingitis, egg peritonitis, and lash egg formation, are common, especially in high-producing hens. Key symptoms include:

• Abnormal egg production: Laying soft-shelled, shell-less, misshapen, or tiny eggs, or sudden cessation of laying.
• Lash eggs: A thick, stringy egg-like mass composed of pus, tissue, and debris, often passed through the vent.
• Abdominal distension: A visibly enlarged or hard belly due to fluid, pus, or retained egg material in the oviduct or abdomen.
• Altered posture: A "penguin-like" stance or tail pumping due to discomfort or pressure from internal fluid or masses.
• Vent discharge: Watery, cloudy, or pus-filled discharge from the vent, sometimes mixed with blood or tissue.
• Lethargy and poor condition: Loss of body weight, ruffled feathers, and reduced activity; the keel bone may feel sharp due to muscle loss.
• Difficulty walking: Pain or pressure from abdominal swelling can impair mobility.
• Respiratory signs: Increased breathing effort due to pressure on the respiratory system from internal fluid buildup.

These infections are often linked to bacterial agents like E. coli or viral diseases such as Infectious Bronchitis (IBV), which can directly damage the oviduct and ovaries. Early detection is difficult as chickens mask illness, so regular monitoring for subtle changes in behavior or egg quality is essential.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Huge update: She was moving around a lot more this morning. Went to clean her crate out and found an egg membrane, which explains why she is looking better. So I’m guessing I don’t need to give her any rennies? Her crop is empty now and she is eating again. So I’m now gradually accustoming her back to outside again. Here’s hoping she won’t kick her water over and kick wood shavings out into my house more than she’s done already

I think she’s always laid funky shaped eggs with wrinkles on etc. It looked like the whole membrane. There was also a lot of liquid in the bedding, so she has been expelling the actual yolk and egg white. I also saw that coming out of her on Saturday night.

I'd try giving her 1/2 of one of those Rennies for a few days if she were mine, unless you can get Calcium Citrate+D3 quickly.

You saw another soft shelled membrane and/or liquid coming from the vent on Saturday?

Funky shaped eggs with Wrinkles? Photos of any of her whole eggs if you have them?
Have you ever had respiratory illness within your flock? Infectious Bronchitis is known to cause wrinkles in eggs. IB and other respiratory illnesses can affect shell quality as well as the reproductive system.

Her crop is empty now and she's eating. See the correlation there? She was finally able to expel the membrane/material, now her other functions are starting to work better - all of this works together!!

See that she's drinking well and eating a nutritionally balanced feed. DO provide oyster shell free choice even if you give her the Extra Calcium for a few days. Check for lice/mites and keep her bum cleaned up.

 

[Pebbles25]

I'd try giving her 1/2 of one of those Rennies for a few days if she were mine, unless you can get Calcium Citrate+D3 quickly.

You saw another soft shelled membrane and/or liquid coming from the vent on Saturday?

Funky shaped eggs with Wrinkles? Photos of any of her whole eggs if you have them?
Have you ever had respiratory illness within your flock? Infectious Bronchitis is known to cause wrinkles in eggs. IB and other respiratory illnesses can affect shell quality as well as the reproductive system.

Her crop is empty now and she's eating. See the correlation there? She was finally able to expel the membrane/material, now her other functions are starting to work better - all of this works together!!

See that she's drinking well and eating a nutritionally balanced feed. DO provide oyster shell free choice even if you give her the Extra Calcium for a few days. Check for lice/mites and keep her bum cleaned up.

Ok I’ll do rennies! It was just the liquid on Saturday night. I don’t have any photos, but I think it’s a genetic thing. No I’ve never had a respiratory illness. Thank you! As I have two boys I feed them growers pellets mixed with layers mash. I am trying to work out how to give them oyster shell grit free choice due to rats and crows. But we have sandy soil which is very helpful. We are also trying to work out best way to treat life, but I didn’t see any obviously on her.

 

[MarlaMac]

Ok I’ll do rennies! It was just the liquid on Saturday night. I don’t have any photos, but I think it’s a genetic thing. No I’ve never had a respiratory illness. Thank you! As I have two boys I feed them growers pellets mixed with layers mash. I am trying to work out how to give them oyster shell grit free choice due to rats and crows. But we have sandy soil which is very helpful. We are also trying to work out best way to treat life, but I didn’t see any obviously on her.

Have you had problems in the past with the rats and crows being attracted to the oyster shells? So your hens are getting no supplemental calcium right now? I would not think they rat/crows would be attracted to the oyster shells, but I could be wrong.

How many chickens do you have? I have 19 layers and I don't go through too much of it in. I use flaked oyster shells and a small box (5 pounds) last me about 2 months. I never find any undersireable pests eating my oyster shells. My crew free ranges so there is ample opportunity for pests to get near the oyster shells. I have never seen that at all.

Hens do need to be able to get calcium free choice in order to keep their reproduction system in good health. Rooting for you to find a way to make that happen.

Also, oyster shell and grit are two different things. Oyster shell and grit are not interchangable. Grit will not provide needed calcium and oyster shell is not hard enough to be substituted for grit. That they have sand is better than nothing, but they do need hard grit. Grit is usually made up of crushed granite. If your sand is made up of granite (or flint) then you are probably okay. Grit is used to help the gizzard grind food. Oyster shells provide calcium for the production of eggshells. Not having calcium will lead to soft shelled eggs. Even hens on layer feed need supplemental calcium.

I don't give grit b/c my crew free ranges and can find all the smal rocks they want. But I do give oyster shells for calcium.