Hen seems like she is in pain while laying

[Ruskin_Roost]

My Tux is 3mos old and has been increasingly vocal while laying.

She was 1/4 of the size of the others at hatch and had a swollen gland above her vent for the first few weeks. I had to help massage her belly to make bowel movements for the first three weeks to avoid constipation and mucky butt, as well as applying Vaseline etc. Both hens have the same diet, plentiful oyster shells and 21% Protein feed, plus lettuce and scraps etc and the occasional meal worm treats.

Her movements have been regular and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain.

Something very interesting is that she always lays two eggs: one around 5pm and the other about 15 minutes later. Sometimes she will lay three in a day but I have not been able to tell when the other one appears- seems to be in the night or early morning. I can tell when she is laying because she cries and it sounds so painful, for about 3 minutes before and then during the lay. She will also protect the eggs and hates when I take them away, so I wait until she stops laying on them and displaying broody behaviour.

Does anyone have any suggestions about whether I should be more concerned and take her to a vet, or is this normal? I only have one other hen and this is my first covey.

Thank you for any advice!

 

[Crestcrazy2]

My Tux is 3mos old and has been increasingly vocal while laying.

She was 1/4 of the size of the others at hatch and had a swollen gland above her vent for the first few weeks. I had to help massage her belly to make bowel movements for the first three weeks to avoid constipation and mucky butt, as well as applying Vaseline etc. Both hens have the same diet, plentiful oyster shells and 21% Protein feed, plus lettuce and scraps etc and the occasional meal worm treats.

Her movements have been regular and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain.

Something very interesting is that she always lays two eggs: one around 5pm and the other about 15 minutes later. Sometimes she will lay three in a day but I have not been able to tell when the other one appears- seems to be in the night or early morning. I can tell when she is laying because she cries and it sounds so painful, for about 3 minutes before and then during the lay. She will also protect the eggs and hates when I take them away, so I wait until she stops laying on them and displaying broody behaviour.

Does anyone have any suggestions about whether I should be more concerned and take her to a vet, or is this normal? I only have one other hen and this is my first covey.

Thank you for any advice!

Three eggs a day ? Um......that's ....odd.

And a broody coturnix !

With chickens the hen will sing an egg song .. maybe that's what she's doing ?
If she goes broody then I'd assume she'd stop laying , thus preventing the pain ?

Honestly I'm just spit balling !
Good luck

 

[Kale the Quail]

My Tux is 3mos old and has been increasingly vocal while laying.

She was 1/4 of the size of the others at hatch and had a swollen gland above her vent for the first few weeks. I had to help massage her belly to make bowel movements for the first three weeks to avoid constipation and mucky butt, as well as applying Vaseline etc. Both hens have the same diet, plentiful oyster shells and 21% Protein feed, plus lettuce and scraps etc and the occasional meal worm treats.

Her movements have been regular and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain.

Something very interesting is that she always lays two eggs: one around 5pm and the other about 15 minutes later. Sometimes she will lay three in a day but I have not been able to tell when the other one appears- seems to be in the night or early morning. I can tell when she is laying because she cries and it sounds so painful, for about 3 minutes before and then during the lay. She will also protect the eggs and hates when I take them away, so I wait until she stops laying on them and displaying broody behaviour.

Does anyone have any suggestions about whether I should be more concerned and take her to a vet, or is this normal? I only have one other hen and this is my first covey.

Thank you for any advice!

I had one that wasn't broody, but I'm almost 100% sure that she layed two eggs in one day a few times. After they lay an egg they'll make a noise that sounds almost like fireworks like... 'eeeeeeuuuuuuuu' (getting lower pitched) (restarts at higher pitch -> 'eeeuuu, euuu, eeeeuuu, euuuuuuuu.'
sorry I don't have a video.... but there's this video..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFmbCgM2Zjo&list=TLPQMTAwODIwMjCXDTx7U8x-8w&index=12
the sound is at the 0:44 time stamp. it's kind of in the background.
I also had another bird who, after I collected her egg/ the eggs of the other birds, would make the firework sound for quite a while until the next day.
@Nabiki knows more.

 

[Ruskin_Roost]

I had one that wasn't broody, but I'm almost 100% sure that she layed two eggs in one day a few times. After they lay an egg they'll make a noise that sounds almost like fireworks like... 'eeeeeeuuuuuuuu' (getting lower pitched) (restarts at higher pitch -> 'eeeuuu, euuu, eeeeuuu, euuuuuuuu.'
sorry I don't have a video.... but there's this video..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFmbCgM2Zjo&list=TLPQMTAwODIwMjCXDTx7U8x-8w&index=12
the sound is at the 0:44 time stamp. it's kind of in the background.
I also had another bird who, after I collected her egg/ the eggs of the other birds, would make the firework sound for quite a while until the next day.
@Nabiki knows more.

This is sooo helpful! That is the sound! But hers is so loud I can hear it in the house, which is kind of fun because then I know to go and watch her lay. I love the term “egg song” aw!

She gets quite upset if I come near the cage after she lays... about 2 hours after she seems to calm down. She will even lunge towards me against the wire, which is so unlike her. Normally she is very calm and coos when I come close. She is DEFINITELY laying two eggs a day on average, always close together. Only a few times has she laid just one egg. I will try to record a video but it is tough because the wire is small and hard to view through.

Here are the three eggs from today! One is from Speed Racer and two are from Tux. Tux always makes a nest in the hay and then Speed Racer will lay in the nest as well. Pretty cute!

Also, I am unsure which hen is laying the eggs that have barely any spotting. I have read that hens usually have the same egg pattern when they lay. I have two hens in one cage, and no Roos in their cage. In the picture of the eggs in the carton, the top two eggs are the colour of an egg that appears every two or three days. The middle dusty-looking eggs are Tux’s, and the bottom more clear tanned coloured ones on the bottom are Speed Racer’s.

And! Just for fun, here is a picture of the egg that Tux hatched from (left) and the egg that Speed Racer hatched from (right). They are very close in colouration to the eggs that each hen lays- except Speed Racer’s eggs are a little more pale.

 

[Ruskin_Roost]

Three eggs a day ? Um......that's ....odd.

And a broody coturnix !

With chickens the hen will sing an egg song .. maybe that's what she's doing ?
If she goes broody then I'd assume she'd stop laying , thus preventing the pain ?

Honestly I'm just spit balling !
Good luck

Poor thing, they aren’t fertilised eggs so her brooding wouldn’t do any good! Love the term “egg song” so cute!

 

[Crestcrazy2]

Poor thing, they aren’t fertilised eggs so her brooding wouldn’t do any good! Love the term “egg song” so cute!

Oh well , I just thought letting her get thru her broody stage would possibly be good .(?) Maybe get some fertilized eggs she can sit on !

 

[Ruskin_Roost]

Oh well , I just thought letting her get thru her broody stage would possibly be good .(?) Maybe get some fertilized eggs she can sit on !

Definitely!

 

[FloorCandy]

Definitely!

I have one who is broody, she doesn’t attack me, or I don’t notice, I guess my hands are a bit tough idk, I’ve never had a mark or broken skin. The day I notice aggression towards my kids tho, they will get a dinner invitation. She is usually sitting on a pile of eggs everyday, I think when she’s sitting others come over and leave their eggs with her. Strangely, 2 days ago, I found my roo Aragorn sitting on the pile and she was out drinking water. However, watching them, they’re not great at it, they leave the nest for long periods, there are more eggs than she can successfully cover sometimes, other birds come over and step thru and on the eggs. When I took the eggs from Aragorn they were barely warm. I wouldnt waste eggs leaving her one, maybe just get some fake cockatiel plastic eggs for her to sit on.

the weird eggs are probably your extra egg for the day and it probably passed they the paint factory faster than usual, or too soon after the previous one.

 

[Ruskin_Roost]

I have one who is broody, she doesn’t attack me, or I don’t notice, I guess my hands are a bit tough idk, I’ve never had a mark or broken skin. The day I notice aggression towards my kids tho, they will get a dinner invitation. She is usually sitting on a pile of eggs everyday, I think when she’s sitting others come over and leave their eggs with her. Strangely, 2 days ago, I found my roo Aragorn sitting on the pile and she was out drinking water. However, watching them, they’re not great at it, they leave the nest for long periods, there are more eggs than she can successfully cover sometimes, other birds come over and step thru and on the eggs. When I took the eggs from Aragorn they were barely warm. I wouldnt waste eggs leaving her one, maybe just get some fake cockatiel plastic eggs for her to sit on.

the weird eggs are probably your extra egg for the day and it probably passed they the paint factory faster than usual, or too soon after the previous one.

Hahaha oh my gosh I LOVED reading about the adventure of your quail attempting to sit on the eggs and that poor Aragorn isn’t so good at it lol. I think giving fake eggs a try might help her stay more calm. I think it is so cute that they tend to lay in the same area. If Tux doesn’t get off her eggs, Soeed Racer climbs all over her and then hunkers down real close to lay beside her, then Tux will remove the egg to join the other ones. One time, Tux laid in the sand-bath and then moved it to the nest on the other side of the cage. It had a couple dents... Must have come quick! Whoops! Hahahaha I obviously don’t know enough about egg production: the “paint factory” is a wonderful visual. Yes, I think those are the ones she lays after she has already laid two, which I am hearing is not so normal. I am attached and only have the two hens until Spring when I will hatch again for my grade 2 class, so I am hoping Tux will calm down with some fake eggs. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[Quailobsessed]

I have a quail that makes that high pitched sound all the time! I wouldn't worry.