I have a 2 1/2 year old red sex link who has always laid rather large and interesting shaped eggs. She has been a good layer until this spring. Her egg laying has become more sporadic-every other day to every three days, and the eggs have been soft, hard, bumpy, and sometimes all three at once! A few days ago I noticed diarrhea on the poop board and discovered it was her. I then started watching her more carefully: tail was down, she wasn't eating and pecking around like the other girls, and was randomly stopping to sleep. Further she started waddling and was all puffed up. I deduced it as being egg bound, gave her a warm bath, and left her alone in the coop for a few hours. Sure enough, out comes the egg, and after a good night's sleep she seemed as good as new. Poops were more normal, she was eating more, and her tail was back up. Well its been 5 days since then and no egg. This morning her tail was back down, she was in and out of the nesting box, had diarrhea, and looked generally miserable. So ive bathed her again, and she is currently locked up in the coop for some quiet time. With all that being said, is it possible that a hen can just keep getting egg bound? Will I be bathing her every few days for the rest of her egg laying life? Could it be something else entirely that I'm overlooking?
I'm totally at a loss here and would love some advice.
I'm totally at a loss here and would love some advice.
