Lethargic chicken laying soft eggs, watery poops...hardly eating...help please!

[HaHaFarms]

About 5 days ago I thought I had an egg bound hen. She was contracting though no egg nor poop for at least a day. Gave calcium, warm baths, olive oiled the vent, etc. When nothing for 2 days, I did a cloaca exam and felt nothing. She just stands around, eats barely anything (tiny bit of yogurt and mealworms). She drinks water well. Then she started laying soft eggs that would stick to her butt and have watery poops. (no blood)

I have one other hen, and 2 laying pullets, and though they all acting totally normal, they are starting to lay soft eggs too! I am waiting for a bag of medicated feed to come into my local feed store which should be today. I have apple cider vinegar w Mother and probiotic water in various watering containers. What else should i do? What could be causing this?

 

[Eggcessive]

There are a lot of conditions that affect laying, such as egg yolk peritonitis, internal laying, salpingitis, cancer and others. Make sure that she is getting a good layer feed plus extra calcium from crushed oyster shell or egg shells fed back.

 

[HaHaFarms]

Thank you for your response...I think you helped me with another issue in the past!!! This is still a work in progress though I wanted you to know how helpful your post was! I figured out it is egg yolk peritonitis which is often misinterpreted as egg bound! I found an oral antibiotic (after watching an amazing success video with another hen with the same problem) called Duramycin-10...this initially helped for about 3 days but then she stopped eating and drinking again. After the 7th day, I removed her from isolation and the antibiotic and returned her to the flock hoping that if she felt like a chicken she would start feeling like one again. She was much happier participating when she could...hunting and pecking...and often sleeping in the corner. I would remove her each day to try and get something in her...eggs, worms, yes, even chicken!! the day she ate pure protein (chicken) was they day she turned a corner! It has been about 5 weeks now and she has not "recovered" though she spends about 75% of her day with the others, and going to bed with an adequately full crop. (Literally WATERMELON sustained her during her non-eating days!!!) I am so thankful for you and for this forum--it is so lonely not knowing any other experienced chicken families in my area and surprisingly no feed stores that carry any sort of antibiotic or knowledge. Even worse, avian vets are very few and far between!. Anyway, we are still taking it day by day...her comb has moments of almost normal color but clearly she is still sleepy chicken that has no interest in being our #1 leader like she was before! Fingers crossed this little lady has lots of fight left in her!