help the Martha hen

[kinnip]

One of my Delawares, Martha, is having some ejection issues. Thursday she laid a really weird egg. It was badly misshapen and I assumed she hadn't been eating her oyster shell. Yesterday she didn't lay at all. She did eat oyster shell. I just went outside to find her waddling around the run and seriously straining to push this ugly devil out:

No one else is having difficulties. There are no symptoms of illness. I think she just really wants to be egg bound. Is there anything I can do to nip this in the bud?

 

[beakkeeper]

That is a weird one. I don't know whats causing it, though!

 

[SpottedCrow]

How long has she been laying?
Could she be starting to moult?
When Obelisk is getting ready to moult, she has strange shaped eggs and ones without shells.

 

[the simple life]

How old is she? How long has she been laying?

 

[hencackle]

It's possible that she's had infectious bronchitis at some point. The IB virus affects many tissues of the body and can permanently damage the reproductive tract, resulting in misshapen eggs.

 

[kinnip]

I don't think it's IB. She only started laying a week and a half ago. I'm hoping it's not a molt. She doesn't look to be missing any feathers, but she is a bit ruffled. They have a 15w red bulb burning in the coop. I kinda hoped that would stave off the molt, but I may be disappointed. Grrrr, I just started getting eggs and now I have to wait again.