HELP! Yellowish liquid in nest box, usually accompanied with soft-shelled egg

[saikkia]

Hi everyone,

I have a New Hampshire Red that just started laying about 2 eggs ago. But she has been laying mostly soft-shelled eggs, we tried up provide oyster shell and laying feed (contains oyster shell as well) but she still sometimes lay soft-shelled eggs. From what I gathered, new laying hens sometimes will do so and will gradually go away as her shell gland becomes more mature. Therefore i'm not too worried.
Until 2 days ago, I found yellowish, odorless liquid in the nest box and around her egg. The egg shell is intact but still somewhat soft and stained with this yellowish liquid. She is still eating and drinking regularly and doesn't appear lethargy or sick at all. But I have seen this yellowish liquid 2 days in a row now (with eggs laid) and starting to get worried. From my research what I found are the following possible theories, but would love to hear your thoughts!
Theory 1: Egg eating hens
There are no broken eggs around and she is the only laying hen. Therefore we can rule out egg eating.
Theory 2: Vent Gleet
Another possibility I read from the forum is Vent Gleet. I checked her vent and it looks fluffy without redness/swollen. So I think it's safe to rule out Vent Gleet as well.
Theory 3: Egg Yolk Peritonitis
This seems like the most possible explanation as she matures early and lays often soft-shelled eggs. However, some symptoms doesn't fit such as she is still keen with food and drinks, energetic and in good feather condition. She still lays egg almost every day.

So what could it be? And how do I diagnose this yellowish liquid? Should i be worried and bring her to a vet?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Without seeing her, or a photo, I can only guess. (Photos would be good, btw, to help subsequent posters).

My guess is that is a broken yolk of a soft shelled egg. She might be laying "double yolkers." She might mature out of it and start to lay normal eggs....or not.

It does sound troublesome. Normally a new laying hen will have an off egg or two, then some normal eggs, then an off egg or two, but 2 weeks of nothing but soft shelled eggs and yellow liquid doesn't sound good (if I understand you correctly).

She may have egg duct problems, either structural issues or infection or viral infection. (Infectious Bronchitis can have a mild form that leaves a simple sniffle but causes all kinds of egg laying quality problems).

Does she ever walk upright like a penguin? Does she strain excessively while trying to lay? Those would be signs of egg binding, however, soft shelled eggs are harder to lay, so she likely is straining....which may cause the rupture of an immature egg further up in the tract.

You might consider giving her a warm bath and gently massaging her abdomen to see if there is anything stuck in the duct.

I'll look forward to what others may have to offer.

LofMc

 

[saikkia]

Without seeing her, or a photo, I can only guess. (Photos would be good, btw, to help subsequent posters).

My guess is that is a broken yolk of a soft shelled egg. She might be laying "double yolkers." She might mature out of it and start to lay normal eggs....or not.

It does sound troublesome. Normally a new laying hen will have an off egg or two, then some normal eggs, then an off egg or two, but 2 weeks of nothing but soft shelled eggs and yellow liquid doesn't sound good (if I understand you correctly).

She may have egg duct problems, either structural issues or infection or viral infection. (Infectious Bronchitis can have a mild form that leaves a simple sniffle but causes all kinds of egg laying quality problems).

Does she ever walk upright like a penguin? Does she strain excessively while trying to lay? Those would be signs of egg binding, however, soft shelled eggs are harder to lay, so she likely is straining....which may cause the rupture of an immature egg further up in the tract.

You might consider giving her a warm bath and gently massaging her abdomen to see if there is anything stuck in the duct.

I'll look forward to what others may have to offer.

LofMc

Thank you for your response, Lady of McCamley! It's quite late and dark here in California now but i'll try to take some pics tomorrow if this still persists. She have laid some normal eggs before but most of the time they are still soft-shelled.

I didn't notice that she was walking upright like a penguin. However, I did notice that she won't be settle down while she roosts at night while the other 3 hens all settle down, but she will just be standing straight on the roost bar. Does that fit your description of straining?

About your 3rd point, if she has something stuck in the duct or egg binding, will she still be able to continue laying eggs? I would assume if there's something stuck, then she won't be able to lay anymore until it got "unstuck", right?

Thank you again for your thoughtful response and I look forward to more discussion.