Help! Unknown object in nesting box and broody girl for 5 weeks now

[Kateliv]

I am a new chick here, and recently moved to a new home which came with 6 chickens, run and coop. I met with the previous owner prior to the sale to get a tuturiol on how to care for my new girls, in addition to doing a lot of reading on my own. It's been 4 weeks since we moved in and all has been well. The girls have done well with transition, are eating well, and I continue to make the same food recipe in bulk as the previous owner. I also buy ingredients from the same grain store. I have several questions though about recent concerns...I have noticed poop in the 1 nesting box, which may be normal but started in the last few days. Is this normal? Also, poop in the coop and run is runny in some of these droppings 2) one of the chickens has been broody for almost 6 weeks now and won't leave the box except to eat. I am not sure shes even doing that. I have lifted her and taken out the eggs and she lays more. We don't have a rooster. She does change boxes after a couple days. How do I get her to stop this? I am unsure she is eating enough. I have read that she will stop on her own. But I have also read chickens hide being sick, and by the time they look sick, it's serious. Should I be worried? 3) this week one girl laid a slightly deformed egg which I didn't think twice about..is this normal? Until 4) today's find in the nesting box. It also appears that one of the smaller hens is molting a bit under her wing feathers. Is this "thing" in the box an egg that didn't form because she is molting and will stop laying soon? I also read that molting can be a sign they are not eating enough. I

feel so I'll equipped and don't want to lose thsee sweet girls!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't know what that "thing" is but you need to break the hen's broodiness. They don't always quit on their own. The tried and true method used for centuries is placing the hen in an elevated wire bottom cage with no bedding (just food and water). They have to get cool air to their underside to break the hormone cycle.
Feces in the nest box isn't normal. Make sure none are sleeping in there. A broody hen will hold it and put out one huge awful smelling fecal each day when she comes off to eat, drink and stretch.

 

[Chickiemom25]

could be a yoke minus the hard shell.... havent gotten anything like that before. I would block off miss broody from the nesting boxes if possible.

 

[Kateliv]

I don't know what that "thing" is but you need to break the hen's broodiness. They don't always quit on their own. The tried and true method used for centuries is placing the hen in an elevated wire bottom cage with no bedding (just food and water). They have to get cool air to their underside to break the hormone cycle.
Feces in the nest box isn't normal. Make sure none are sleeping in there. A broody hen will hold it and put out one huge awful smelling fecal each day when she comes off to eat, drink and stretch.

I don't know what that "thing" is but you need to break the hen's broodiness. They don't always quit on their own. The tried and true method used for centuries is placing the hen in an elevated wire bottom cage with no bedding (just food and water). They have to get cool air to their underside to break the hormone cycle.
Feces in the nest box isn't normal. Make sure none are sleeping in there. A broody hen will hold it and put out one huge awful smelling fecal each day when she comes off to eat, drink and stretch.

 

[Kateliv]

Wow! I had no idea. We have a large dog crate that i can use and take out the bottom tray. Should I keep it in the run up off the ground, like on saw horses, and for how long? Will the other hens care about this? Our hens don't free range and I would be concerned about keeping it out of the coop.

 

[Kateliv]

could be a yoke minus the hard shell.... havent gotten anything like that before. I would block off miss broody from the nesting boxes if possible.

I am on it, for sure! Thank you all for your responses.

 

[Eggcessive]

The odd looking thing appears to be a lash egg, although not the usual ones we see in pictures. There are some like this if you Google "lash egg," and go up to "images" and scroll down the page. Lash eggs can be a sign of salpingitis, an inflammatory condition in the oviduct. It may lead to egg yolk peritonitis. My broody hens usually have to spend 4-5 days in their broody cage to break them, but the occasional stubborn one may take a day or two longer.

 

[Kateliv]

Thank you! I did some reading about lash eggs last night after reading your post. Yuck! I pray this was random and will not continue. We are buying a rabbit cage today for miss broody. Our dog crate is too large. Thank you for all of your help. So thankful to be part of this community!

 

[rebrascora]

Can I also add that you are better off buying a preparatory chicken feed which has a balanced nutritional content to provide everything your laying hens need. It is very difficult to mix an appropriate feed yourself and if you make it in bulk, many of the vitamins will be diminished by the time the hens come to finish the last of it. I know some people are really particular about organic and stuff but there are pros and cons to everything, so don't feel obliged to follow a complex feed regimen just because the previous owner did.
I would be interested to see the inside of the strange deposit you found. I appreciate it seems a bit gross, but if you haven't disposed of it, can you cut it open and take a photo. That will help us establish if it is indeed a lash egg.

 

[Kateliv]

Can I also add that you are better off buying a preparatory chicken feed which has a balanced nutritional content to provide everything your laying hens need. It is very difficult to mix an appropriate feed yourself and if you make it in bulk, many of the vitamins will be diminished by the time the hens come to finish the last of it. I know some people are really particular about organic and stuff but there are pros and cons to everything, so don't feel obliged to follow a complex feed regimen just because the previous owner did.
I would be interested to see the inside of the strange deposit you found. I appreciate it seems a bit gross, but if you haven't disposed of it, can you cut it open and take a photo. That will help us establish if it is indeed a lash egg.

I understand what you mean and appreciate the suggestion! I assumed that I should continue feeding them the same as the previous owner. So here is an update- I broke "thing" open earlier today and it only had yoke in it. Thoughts?