Hen excreting weird, bloody mucus... Please help!

[GuppyFish ButterGirl]

Hi guys,
I've been finding this strange mucusy substance in my hen's bedding for the last few days. It's kind of like egg white but all bloody. She's been lying down a lot acting very lethargic too - just generally not herself. As far as I know she is still eating and drinking and is still walking around most of the time, but I don't think she is laying... it's hard to tell as we have three hens of the same breed who all lay in the same box, so we can't tell them apart. It could just be a coincidence, but one of the girls was laying wee "fart" eggs for a couple of days, then we found the slimy discharge stuff the day after. If it was her doing it, could this be something to do with it? I've also been looking into coccidiosis in case its that. We try to keep their bedding (straw) clean and dry and always clean their food dishes and drinkers though, so I don't know. Ive posted the pictures, so what do you guys think? (they're a bit gross though, TW). And what can I do to help her? Thanks, please help quick!

 

[Loving my girls]

To me it looks like it could be the cocc. But it is easy to confuse bloody poop with other abdominal issues. I would separate her immediately and watch carefully.
Sorry I can’t help more
Good luck and hugz
Alternatively separate and treat the whole flock for cocc. just incase.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is pretty unusual to have blood come from the oviduct, but that is what it looks like. With the fart egg, that might be it. Can you examine her vent area using a glove to see if there is any blood inside her vent? If you could tell if this was mixed with poop, I would treat for coccidiosis, but if it is reproductive, she may be having some reproductive disorder. Is a vet possible?

 

[GuppyFish ButterGirl]

Good news, I took her into the house once I got home from school to check her out and her vent is completely clear and dry, no signs of caked blood or anything, and she seems more lively and curious (she went parading down the hallway like she owned the place haha). She was a bit fluffed up and I don't think she laid again, but that's all. She's eating and pooping and there's no blood in her poop, so I think it's probably a reproductive thing rather than cocc. Maybe something to do with her meeting her first rooster recently- shes a rescue hen so not necessarily bred for mating. Could that be it? I checked out the other 2 girls who sleep in the same place as her as there's no way to be sure it's not one of them, but all vents are clear and they're all lively/normal. Will continue to monitor and give her a bit of apple cider vinegar in her water to give her a boost. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

I’m glad that she has normal poops now, and no more blood since. Please let us know how she gets along. I would either confine her tonight in a dog crate on towels or puppy pads to monitor her droppings, or place papers under her roost once she gets settled tonight.

 

[GuppyFish ButterGirl]

I’m glad that she has normal poops now, and no more blood since. Please let us know how she gets along. I would either confine her tonight in a dog crate on towels or puppy pads to monitor her droppings, or place papers under her roost once she gets settled tonight.

It's definitely her eggs that are bloody, not her poops. She keeps laying either tiny, malformed ones with blood in and really thin shells (she has access to plenty grit etc), or what seems like eggs without shells at all, also with blood in plus some hard substance like a lump of tissue or cell clot in the middle. Could it be a parasite? then today she laid another tiny, fragile egg with what looked like a developing embryo in it! I'll post a picture when i can. Whats going on?

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures are always helpful to others looking at these threads, so post if you can. I would probably give your hen 300 mg of calcium citrate with vitamin D daily for the next week, to see if it makes a difference.

 

[GuppyFish ButterGirl]

Pictures as requested (quite graphic). We've had this sort of thing in her eggs for a few weeks now.

 

[BiggDeal]

It's definitely her eggs that are bloody, not her poops. She keeps laying either tiny, malformed ones with blood in and really thin shells (she has access to plenty grit etc), or what seems like eggs without shells at all, also with blood in plus some hard substance like a lump of tissue or cell clot in the middle. Could it be a parasite? then today she laid another tiny, fragile egg with what looked like a developing embryo in it! I'll post a picture when i can. Whats going on?

Check to make sure it’s not a lash egg look up lash egg