Hen’s first egg broke during laying

[BethFlower]

Our family is fairly new to quail raising. We hatched our first batch of eggs back in November, and we incubated some of their eggs and those hatched about 6 weeks ago. So the bird in question here is part of that 2nd generation. She just laid her first egg today. It’s brown/muddy colored (and I hear that it’s normal for their 1st egg to be discolored), but it was also misshapen and a little cracked.
The hen remained next to her egg with her head propped up against the wall and I noticed it looks like she’s pooping and she looks like she feels miserable, like she’s in the middle of a long, difficult bowel movement. Upon closer inspection I could see that she was passing a long, stringy, slimy looking poop. Could this be the inside of the egg if that egg broke inside of her? Is she going to be okay? Is this normal for a hen’s 1st lay?

 

[CountrifiedCoturnix]

I am very interested in hearing responses. I have some nearly-5 week olds, and a few olders that have been laying for a couple months. I’m not usually around when they lay (outside aviary/enclosed hutch), but I have had a few eggs that were very thin shelled. And yes, the brown discoloration is a new egg. However! I also just posted not that long ago about some weird eggs… I’ll see if I can find the post.

Long answer short - if she is starting to lay, maybe switch her to a higher calcium feed.

 

[Nabiki]

This doesn't sound normal to me. Can you bring her inside, clean her up and do an inspection? Can you feel an egg that might be stuck? Once she's inside, you can watch her to see if she's pooping. If she's not, she may be egg bound, which is important to take care of as soon as possible.

What are you feeding her? Is she getting enough calcium? If she is egg bound, you can let her soak in a warm (quail body temp or a couple of degrees warmer) epsom salt bath to help her vent relax.

Weird shaped or cracked eggs aren't uncommon, I'm concerned about the discharge.

 

[BethFlower]

She passed away within the next hour or so. None of her sisters have laid any eggs yet. Maybe it’s lack of calcium?

 

[Kiki]

She passed away within the next hour or so. None of her sisters have laid any eggs yet. Maybe it’s lack of calcium?

What exactly are you feeding?

 

[CountrifiedCoturnix]

If she is egg bound, you can let her soak in a warm (quail body temp or a couple of degrees warmer) epsom salt bath to help her vent relax

What temp do you recommend? And can hens that are already laying become egg bound?

 

[Nabiki]

What temp do you recommend? And can hens that are already laying become egg bound?

Any hen that is laying, new or not can become egg bound. Since a quail's normal body temperature is around 104 (I think) I would have the water temp around 106.

 

[CountrifiedCoturnix]

Any hen that is laying, new or not can become egg bound. Since a quail's normal body temperature is around 104 (I think) I would have the water temp around 106.

Incredibly helpful. Thank you!