Hi Mama of 4 girls,
Sorry to get back to you so late...
No, I don't believe it would infect the other hens. She will probably be fine for many months. You may see an increase in lash laid and overtime an increase in her girth (abdomen swells-a hard swelling). I would find a bit of lash here and there every so often in my coop. Then I would start noticing their abdomens getting big and heavy. (This is over many months) Then I noticed the hen not wanting to move as much, and even at that they can stay alive for more than a year with that problem. She should be fine for now, just that eventually you may see this in your hen.. then again, maybe not too. I hear that this sort of thing is normal in chickens, and they can live a long time with it, but just one of those things that isn't good for them int he long run. I could be wrong about all that, but I don't see that you should have to worry about anything just yet. Just want to give you a heads up on the problem and what you might encounter later.
I don't think you did anything wrong to cause it. I heard it can start when a certain bacteria reaches the ovaries? (If you do a search someone filled me in on this and I can't remember) I did have my vet treat my hens with EYP when it was too far progressed and neither lived, but she told me next time to bring them in as soon as I notice any swelling in the abdomen, that the sooner we catch it the better the prognosis. Its expensive and risky though... and I'm not sure I will try again jsut because I did not have much luck with it but others have. I got the impression that they can survive surgery if its caught early. They basically give the hen something equivalent to a hysterectomy in women so that there won't be any problems with laying eggs internally.... which I think is what lash is. Its the litlle chunks that found its way out ??? Again, not sure. I'm no medically trained vet, just someone whose seen in my flock after 6 years of chicken keeping.
Best wishes to you and your flock!
