Hen pooping jet of egg yolk and white

[MandS]

I seem to be getting problems at the moment. I lost one hen 2 weeks ago from cancer, although she fought incredibly.

I'm currently treating one of my girl's feet which have these deep pockets in the webbing. They've got infected so I'm cleaning them with weak iodine solution and then packing them with triple antibiotic ointment.

As I put her to bed this evening, having just done her feet, one of the other girls stood up and squirted out a jet of egg yolk and white, no poop in it, just this orange with clear albumin mixed.

As it's night time, I've just left her there to sleep the night but I'm asking for advice about tomorrow. Unless somebody thinks I should get her out tonight of course.

I've noticed recently there have been a number of soft shelled eggs and I'm guessing she is the culprit so I presume a soft egg has burst in her and she's expelling it. She's 2 years old and is a red sexlink who always seemed to lay quite consistently since we got her. I've noticed the egg production across the flock has gone down quite a lot recently, but the weather has got colder here and I presume that's the reason.

I have a camera on them and I reviewed the footage before posting this and she's been eating and looked kind of normal until about 4 hours before bedtime, when she was a bit more subdued but still very keen to eat when the scratch was given.

Plan tomorrow is to give her half a Tums, some vitamin boost (neat nutri drench) and see if she's ok. I'm not planning to do a digital inspection unless she looks ill.

Thanks in advance for the guidance.

 

[nuthatched]

What's a digital inspection?

 

[tlcmurphy]

What's a digital inspection?

With your finger?

 

[nuthatched]

With your finger?

That's a little better than what I was thinking, which is like a colonoscopy.

 

[MandS]

Yes, with a finger, which neither she nor I will particularly enjoy. I always worry if it's doing more harm than good, and I always have to look up which way (up or down) to angle the finger. I've never felt a stuck egg and only once found the remnants of a broken egg (with semi formed shell, not completely soft).

 

[SkyAJK]

@MandS

I am not a chicken expert.
I would like to share my experience with chicken pooping out egg york, egg white and egg membrane. I have done that many times with my Isa Brown hens.

To make sure all the egg materials are out as best as one can and also hope to prevent infection. This is what I learned online and did for my hens:

Epsom Salt ENEMA (No needle)
Dissolve 1 tbsp of epsom salt in the cup of warm distil water
Using a 20cc syringe (20mL) give her an epsom salt ENEMA
Place her in a quiet place alone to rest and monitor
Give her some vitamin drinks

The trick to do this is to put her on her side, keep her calm and gently inserted the syringe in her vent.
She will naturally pushes everything out.
Be very gentle.

As soon as I let my hen down, she poops out the epsom salt solution I enema her with. Sometime small egg materials come out as well. She was ok after that.

(I give my hen a drop of oil of oregano in her mouth and some water to drink it down. I have no idea if this is doing anything, but I read that this is natural antibiotic.)

Recently in BYC I learned new thing like give the hen that lay soft shell egg/shell less egg calcium citrate +vitamin D.

I would bring her inside and do the epsom salt enema tonight.
You could do it tomorrow morning.

All the best.

 

[MandS]

Thank you. That's very interesting.

It's now about 5 hours since they went to bed, so I don't think it possible to get her now without it really traumatising her.

I've not heard of the epsom salts enema. Makes sense I suppose so long as she didn't absorb any of the salts.

If you've had it happen many times, has it had a good success rate?

I'm kind of dreading the morning but what must be done, must be done.

Thanks

 

[tlcmurphy]

I don’t think it’s a good idea to give chickens an enema. Let me tag some folks for you.
@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[SkyAJK]

Thank you. That's very interesting.

It's now about 5 hours since they went to bed, so I don't think it possible to get her now without it really traumatising her.

I've not heard of the epsom salts enema. Makes sense I suppose so long as she didn't absorb any of the salts.

If you've had it happen many times, has it had a good success rate?

I'm kind of dreading the morning but what must be done, must be done.

Thanks

When you do the Enema, take your time while doing it.
It is uncomfortable for your hen so she needs your gentleness.

I use a 10ml syringe so that it is not too big, but I have to do it twice to get the 20ml.

After a few times, you will know through experience of doing it.
Wrap a towel around her so that she is calm and not trying to break free.

Yes, it works well for my hens that went through this pooping egg materials. They were better, but then back at laying soft shell/ shell less eggs again, back and forth. I did give the calcium and whatever else was needed.
Not the Calcium with D I learned recent.

My Isa Brown hens continued to on/off laying soft shell/ shell less eggs / egg bound/ then having cancer. In the end they all died from reproductive issues.

 

[azygous]

I don't recommend doing an enema. You risk pushing bacteria from the cloaca up into the reproductive tract, and that would saddle the hen with a chronic, hard to treat bacteria infection.

There are safer alternatives such as giving coconut oil and a stool softener.