Is this a worm or egg?!?! Help!

[Wyorp Rock]

Kind of felt like that too… is that something to be concerned about?

Do you have any hens acting off?
If not, then I would mark it up as a glitch and just observe the hens for a few days.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Do you have any hens acting off?
If not, then I would mark it up as a glitch and just observe the hens for a few days.

Nothing out of the ordinary. All my girls are acting normal. I saw this on one particular girl so I’ll keep an extra close eye on her. I appreciate your help so much!

 

[ANiceKaren]

Do you have any hens acting off?
If not, then I would mark it up as a glitch and just observe the hens for a few days.

This morning when I opened their coop underneath the girl who has the membrane on her butt last night was what looked like the remainder of egg. There was a soft stringy shell and white and yolk (pic). Her poo this morning as well was runny and yellowish/whitish (pic) She seems fine otherwise.. free ranging, red face/comb. I also have her Safeguard last night thinking it were a worm. Now it seems to be certain an egg issue… should I give her any calcium? Antibiotics? I hate to give her meds if not needed? I’ve also been down this road before with an egg issue and it was a year of antibiotics and worry.. she finally succumbed to it. Not sure what I should do next. It really seems as if all egg matter was on floor of coop. Splattered because I assume she got rid of while roosting. Any help is appreciated! *she is missing beard feathers because her friends were overzelously grooming her. I was giving them fermented food and they would groom her face afterwards. or maybe a face molt? If that’s a thing?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

This morning when I opened their coop underneath the girl who has the membrane on her butt last night was what looked like the remainder of egg. There was a soft stringy shell and white and yolk (pic). Her poo this morning as well was runny and yellowish/whitish (pic) She seems fine otherwise.. free ranging, red face/comb. I also have her Safeguard last night thinking it were a worm. Now it seems to be certain an egg issue… should I give her any calcium? Antibiotics? I hate to give her meds if not needed? I’ve also been down this road before with an egg issue and it was a year of antibiotics and worry.. she finally succumbed to it. Not sure what I should do next. It really seems as if all egg matter was on floor of coop. Splattered because I assume she got rid of while roosting. Any help is appreciated! *she is missing beard feathers because her friends were overzelously grooming her. I was giving them fermented food and they would groom her face afterwards. or maybe a face molt? If that’s a thing?

I would just keep an eye on her.

 

[ANiceKaren]

I would just keep an eye on her.

Just got home from an errand and she was laying down… not herself.. tail down.. I’m debating on giving her some calcium? Could she be egg bound? She is going poo

 

[ANiceKaren]

Update and help needed. Well.. my girl with egg membrane isn’t herself this morning. Came home to her laying down and moving slower than usual. Found some soft egg pieces and yolk/white under her roostinf spot this morning. I just gave her a calcium tablet in hopes of she is egg bound this helps or helps remove any leftover egg matter. Should I start antibiotics as well? She just had a pretty good poop? I’ll post pic. As far as antbiotics go I have fish doxy and amoxicillin. Thoughts?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

The calcium tablet is good. How many mg was it? Citrate works the best, too. I would see how she does with the tablet, and then try amoxicillin, but @azygous might be able to help you more.

 

[ANiceKaren]

The calcium tablet is good. How many mg was it? Citrate works the best, too. I would see how she does with the tablet, and then try amoxicillin, but @azygous might be able to help you more.

 

[fluffyButtMom2022]

Hey BYC friends…
I was putting my girls away tonight and saw this hanging from my 11 month EE vent… is this a part of a worm or egg matter? It’s thicker at one end and smaller at the other? If this is a worm should I wake them tonight to use Safeguard or is tomorrow okay to treat my flock of seven? Ewwww what is this? Will she be okay?

Absolutely fine shes a new layer my girls gave me some wonky looking stuff , up her calcium (give her egg shells and oyster shells ) she will be just fine promise just up her calcium for sure is all

 

[azygous]

Behavior is the single most valuable evidence of the health status of a chicken. A very active, vocal chicken is healthy. A chicken lying down, moving in slow motion, squatting and straining, wanting to hang out for an hour or more in a nest box is battling a reproductive issue.

As @ANiceKaren just posted, the calcium citrate is the single best thing you can do for your hen. It will encourage contractions to help her clear any obstruction. It usually works pretty quickly. Stick the entire tablet right into her beak. She will swallow it.

If you can install your hen in a crate on a bunch of dryer warmed towels, you should be able to monitor when she expels something. It may be a normal egg, or soft egg, or a collapsed membrane. If runny egg yolk comes out, then you will need to jump on that antibiotic. Amoxicillin 250 mg is my choice.

Once the obstruction is expelled, your hen should revert back to normal behavior. If she continues to behave sickly, she still has material left to expel. Give another calcium later today if she continues to labor with this.