Hen laid a hard / "cooked" yolk (no shell)

[denz88]

Does the rooster have any yellow patches or spots inside his beak or throat? They can extend into the trachea (airway,) esophagus, and crop as well. @casportpony can help you with instructions if you need to tube feed him. Liquids are most important, and you may add water to feed or egg.

He's been having problems keeping his eye open and tearing quite a bit. The crust I've been picking off do look very yellow and resemble wet-form lesions. I've been applying terramycin (the one made for eyes) twice daily to the affected eye just in case. I've been swabbing scabs / lesions with Neosporin on a q-tip as well.

Just as the scabs / lesions seemed to get better, I found him one day (maybe day 12-14?) wheezing. That's when I also noticed that some of the lesions were spreading into his mouth. I manged to remove those and it doesn't seem like more have formed inside the mouth. I'll check again when I attempt to feed tonight.

He's been taking water / food normally up until 2 days ago and since then, eating / drinking in drips. Do you know how much time I have before I need to start tube feeding?

 

[Eggcessive]

Fluids are most important, since they can go a few days without eating. Read posts 10 and 11 here by Coach 323 for some info on tube feeding and giving liquids orally:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lled-2-chickens-and-injured-2-others.1338146/

 

[denz88]

Fluids are most important, since they can go a few days without eating. Read posts 10 and 11 here by Coach 323 for some info on tube feeding and giving liquids orally:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lled-2-chickens-and-injured-2-others.1338146/

Thanks, Eggcessive, I'll try the syringe method first before using a tube. As you suggest, I'll also prioritize fluids and maybe a bit more egg yolk solution if he isn't too resistant.

 

[PioneerChicks]

@SoftSilkie how is Penny and the rest of the flock doing?

I've also been puzzled over why my hens have gotten this and I often wonder if past hens who've died suddenly in the past succumbed to egg-related issues.

One common element I've noticed with my last hen with EYP and this one with lash egg is bumblefoot.

The first hen with EYP I caught in an advanced stage of bumblefoot because I simply didn't know to look for it. Since then I've been much more vigilant and have come across 5-6 other instances, which seems high for a flock of about 12. Nipped most of these in the bud before they can do any damage though with epsom salt soaks + neosporin + bandage wrap until plugs fall.

In any case, perhaps it's the stress of bumblefoot placing strain on the immune system. That, or possibly the infection from bumblefoot itself traveling. Have you had any issues like this?

Loyal Penny (yes, that is her full name, I added on Loyal last year) passed away this morning. She did have 2 broken toes in one foot. They broke when she was a chick and healed crooked, but it never seemed to bug her. I have never really worried about bumblefoot, but I guess I will check my flock for signs sometime soon. Thanks for the advice, and sorry about your losses


Good luck with your chickens, @denz88.

 

[goldysgirl]

That looks like lash material from Salpingitis. Can you cut that open?
Sometimes if caught early, you can treat with an antibiotic to make them more comfortable. She may have more lash material to push out, hard to know.
It's good that she's feeling a little better.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/

Wow, that is yucky and really interesting. Good to know.

 

[denz88]

Loyal Penny (yes, that is her full name, I added on Loyal last year) passed away this morning. She did have 2 broken toes in one foot. They broke when she was a chick and healed crooked, but it never seemed to bug her. I have never really worried about bumblefoot, but I guess I will check my flock for signs sometime soon. Thanks for the advice, and sorry about your losses


Good luck with your chickens, @denz88.

I'm sorry to hear about Loyal Penny, SoftSilkie. I'm sure you gave her as much care and comfort as she needed. Sending you and your flock hugs across the internet

 

[jolenesdad]

Sorry for your loss @SoftSilkie. :-(

I don’t have anything to add but wanted to say to the OP thanks I’ve learned a lot by your post, hopeful that there are answers and improvement for you soon.

 

[denz88]

Another update now that we're about ~3 weeks in since the original post.

Our hen seems to oscillate between days where she's doing great and days where she's just so-so. She has lost more of her feathers than the rest of the flock, so part of me thinks (hopes) that it's from molting and not from further complications with salpingitis / egg-laying issues. (pic below taken a week ago at the peak of her feather loss)

Since the lash egg she passed, she has not laid a single egg, including any lash eggs. I also haven't spotted anymore egg material in her droppings. It seems her droppings are mostly normal, although there have been a few odd ones that are more liquid-y.

The "mild ascites" I was concerned about might not have been ascites. She still has a bit of a protrusion in her abdomen, but when pressing on it, it's not particularly squishy. Maybe this is the way her abdomen has always appeared and it's more noticeable with her molting?

On the "great" days, she'll keep up with the rest of the flock when we let them out for a graze. Usually she'll find a little quiet spot in the yard for herself to rest about ~30 minutes in, but resume playing later. This is consistent with a few of our other hens that have been under the weather, possibly from molting. (pic below taken yesterday after some fun outdoors)

The "so-so" days worry me a bit because she'll be pretty lethargic with her tail pointed straight down (close to 90 degrees to the ground). Sometimes she'll just stand there while ever so slightly rocking back and forth.

This past weekend, she had a stance that looked similar to the egg-bound stance. I gave her another epsom salt bath and she did appear much better afterwards, although like I said above, no egg passed.

I haven't fed her anymore antibiotics since her 5-day course of enrofloxacin.

Diet consists primarily of her layer feed (no more scratch). We've also introduced a hard-boiled egg + yogurt mixed in, fed roughly every other day as she's hard at work growing feathers. Her appetite is good even on the so-so days and absolutely voracious when it comes to those egg+yogurt plates. She's also managed to find herself a few treats when we let her range.

For her water, I've added some nutri drench (~0.25-0.5mL / day). Water is changed every other day.

The original goal was to release her back with the rest of the flock, but as its been quite cold and her plumage is sparse, we've decided to keep her in for a bit longer.

Let me know if there's anything I could do differently and if there are any signs to watch for in her current state.

Also, if anyone has any experience with a hen fully recovering from salpingitis, I'd love to hear about it. Almost all of the posts I've come across online suggest an eventual decline.

 

[casportpony]

Also, if anyone has any experience with a hen fully recovering from salpingitis, I'd love to hear about it. Almost all of the posts I've come across online suggest an eventual decline.

I have treated a few with Baytril that made complete recoveries and went on the lay eggs again!

Look at her!

 

[denz88]

I have treated a few with Baytril that made complete recoveries and went on the lay eggs again!

Look at her!

That's amazing @casportpony !! Gives me hope

Did they all recover from one course of Baytril? Should I consider a second, even third course?