Lathargic/sick chicken....please help...

Cluky

Songster
Apr 13, 2012
387
11
146
Chicago
I have an 11 month old Wellsummer hen. She is always very very active and loud. But I love her anyway she gives me the best eggs out of the flock :) Last night when I went into the coop to clean it up a bit, she was standing, not really moving much or eating, with her tail down. I could tell something was wrong. While I was in coop, I saw her "poop out" egg white and an egg yolk (in tact) I assumed she just had an egg with no shell on. Then, what appeared egg membrane came out. I thought that will make her feel better etc. Today, I went into the coop and her demeanor still same. I picked her up and felt around, she doesn't seem to have an egg inside.

I know there are a lot of posts about what to do with the hen when she is blocked with egg or something. So couple of things 1. how do I figure out what is wrong with her, I am positive it is something with egg production but for example is there way to figure out if she just had a bad egg day yesterday she is getting over or if she is truly stopped up with something? 2. what should be the progression of what I do...I have heard warm bath, Vaseline, oil....what is the progression of trying to treat something like this?

thanks in advance for help.
 
The treatment you are describing is for an egg bound hen. If you didn't feel an egg, and she's not walking like a penguin, she doesn't seem to be egg bound. As for the egg she dropped - it could have been a soft shelled egg that got broken on the way out. It is concerning because it can lead to an infection when eggs break inside them. When was the last time she laid a normal egg?
 
Is her abdomen swollen or hot? Does it seem fluid is inside it? Is she having any more discharge from the vent? Is she straining as if to lay?
 
None of those. She didn't want to get off of the roost today though. She isn't eating much but is eating and drinking a bit.
 
I would just keep an eye on her for any other symptoms. She may be prone to internal egg laying, and most hens eventually die of it. I have had hen recently pass a shell-less egg just as yours did, and nothing was wrong with her. Your hen may have something completely unrelated going on such as coccidiosis or another disease, or it may be internal laying. Have you added chickens from another farm recently to introduce new strains of coccidia that your hens may not be immune to?
 
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