Laid intact yolk but still eggbound?

[rgolden1125]

This started yesterday evening. I noticed one of my silkie hens in a corner acting strange. I watched her a bit and she pooped just white so I immediately thought eggbound-she's been eggbound before. I gave her some crushed up calcium pill and yogurt, put her in the coop by herself, and proceeded to wait. She laid an intact egg. No membrane, no shell, just the insides of an egg last night. She is still acting like she is eggbound-straining, pooping white when she poops, etc. Is it possible something is still stuck back there??? I was trying to figure out if just an egg yolk in there would cause her to get eggbound in the first place... I checked her crop this morning and it was about half empty. Feels like mostly fluid. She drank a lot of water last night. I don't think she's been losing weight leading up to this.

Set up/history: we recently added more chicks to our flock. They've been together since May or so. Everyone has been on grower since then with oyster shell on the side. This hen is just coming back into laying.

I'm not sure what to do. She'll drink water but isn't interested in food. I'm going to try a warm bath next but hoping someone else has some insight.

 

[coach723]

She may have had a malformed egg since only the insides were laid. If the shell was soft it may still be inside her. Malformed, or soft shelled eggs can be very difficult for them to pass and can make them feel very unwell. I would continue to do what you have been, continue with daily calcium and warm bath and hope that she can pass it. A dark quiet room may also help her relax. It's possible that she has infection or other reproductive problems going on, especially since she has a history of egg binding. A slow crop may be a sign of that also. You can use a lubed, gloved finger and insert 1 - 2 inches in her vent to see if you can feel anything, and lubing her vent may help.
https://www.backyardchickencoops.co...re/egg-binding-what-is-it-and-how-to-treat-it
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms/

 

[azygous]

Be assured there is still egg material inside her reproductive track. It's not uncommon for two eggs to form withing the same cycle, and that makes it very difficult for the hen to get them out. Continue the calcium and you might also want to provide moist heat under her in the form of a heating pad or hot water bottle under a moist towel. I find that much less stressful than a tub soak.

 

[rgolden1125]

Darnit. I'll keep at it then. Thank you azygous for the hot water bottle/heating pad idea, much less stressful for both of us-this chicken hates even the feet baths. She's much more content with a moist heating pad.
She seems a bit more spunky compared to last night which is a bit weird, but hopefully that's good. Hopefully she'll pass whatever it is soon

 

[azygous]

She will be noticeable relieved once she gets out the remaining egg material. Monitor the heating pad to be sure she isn't getting too warm. I usually put it on the lowest setting. If she begins panting, you want to back off on the heat.

 

[rgolden1125]

Guys... I don't know if she's actually eggbound... I did a vent check and got resistance about an inch in. Does that mean she's eggbound or...? She is a bantam and I'm worried about hurting her and don't want to go too far. I haven't had to do a vent check before and not sure what to expect... I didn't feel an egg and she was pooping a very small amount. Help?

 

[azygous]

When we picture what "egg-bound" entails, I'd bet most of us come up with a vision of a solid egg stuck in a pipe. I've found that the reality is more like a slow drain with loose material impeding free movement.

What's more likely happening in your mini-patient is egg residue hung up in the track, and this can behave a lot like constipation - cramping and a lot of discomfort as the hen is having contractions to try to move the contents out.

The best and safest treatment is to provide a stress-free resting place with moist heat to calm the cramps, and calcium citrate to help the contractions to be productive. It requires patience, but almost always the material moves on out and the hen will then feel much better.

If at any point you see a discharge of runny egg yolk and especially bits of egg shell, you have the beginnings of a possible infection as a broken egg will irritate, then inflame the lining of the reproductive track. Bacteria then quickly begins to grow in this inflamed tissue. An antibiotic early in this series of events is wise since an infection is hard to cure once it gets established, and a hen can become sterile as a result.

It's tricky dealing with reproductive issues, but most often calcium and patience will resolve them.

 

[rgolden1125]

Thank you for the reassurance. How much calcium do you recommend? I have calcium carbonate pills - 600mg plus vitamin D3 800IU. She's gotten about 1/4 a pill per day. Should I be giving her more? Less? Different form of calcium?

This is the first time I've had an eggbound hen that hasn't cleared it within the first few hours after I've found them. I'll put on my patience cap then. Just feel like I'm on a time crunch.

 

[azygous]

She can have much more than what you've been giving her. I give a whole calcium tablet right into the beak, 400mg minimum up to 650mg. Short term calcium is not harmful. You don't want to give that much any longer than a week. Even then, the worst that happens is heavy calcium deposits on the egg shells for a couple weeks after the calcium is stopped.

As long as a hen seems to be struggling with getting her reproductive track cleared, I keep up with at least 400-600mg calcium per day.

 

[rgolden1125]

Hi everyone. So update. Her poops got gradually more and more solid. Didn't see a shell or anything resembling a shell. She has since started acting normal, figured we were past this, and we integrated her back into flock. However, she's losing weight/not eating. Or at least, she's not eating enough to maintain weight. Any thoughts? She isn't acting abnormal for now... Hasn't laid an egg tho either.