My hen just laid 7 eggs

[tiny529]

Okay, not really. It seems that she is egg bound. She laid a monstrosity earlier today that proved to be a shell-less egg matrioshka with 4 layer. Yep. An egg in an egg in an egg in an egg! Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen! About an hour later, she looked like she was going to poop and 3 shell-less eggs fell out in one blob. She’s eating and being relatively active (she chased and caught a moth about 15 minutes after delivering her trio), but this has me concerned. She’s getting older (I think she’s 4 this year, but I’m not positive of that), and she is a “production brown layer”, so I’m wondering if that has anything to do with what’s going on. Does anyone have any advice? She just eats the Dumor Layer pellets and whatever she can scrounge in the yard when she’s free ranging.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she has a reproductive problem, possibly impacted oviduct. Do you have any pictures of the multilayered egg? Do you feed her layer feed and have crushed oyster shell free chipoice? I would be tempted to give her some human calcium tablet or Tums for a few days to see if it helps. If not, it would be best for her to stop laying. In some areas vets can treat with hormone implants to stop laying. Has she laid consistantly all these years except for during her yearly molt? Here is some reading:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tem/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

 

[ShannonR]

That hen is lucky to be alive!

 

[tiny529]

It sounds like she has a reproductive problem, possibly impacted oviduct. Do you have any pictures of the multilayered egg? Do you feed her layer feed and have crushed oyster shell free chipoice? I would be tempted to give her some human calcium tablet or Tums for a few days to see if it helps. If not, it would be best for her to stop laying. In some areas vets can treat with hormone implants to stop laying. Has she laid consistantly all these years except for during her yearly molt? Here is some reading:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tem/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

She does get fed layer feed. I have oyster shell, but not available to them at all times (it’s sprinkled outside the run so they can get it while they free range). I can start putting it in the run too. They used to free range every day, but we’ve backed off from free ranging recently because a fox got our Wyandotte this summer and was sniffing around the coop a few days later.

I tried giving her some crushed Tums. She pecked at it a little but I don’t think she ate any of it.

I wish that I had gotten a picture of that crazy layered egg. It looked more like a pile of pale clay colored mud than an egg. It was soft, wet, and had a couple of odd protrusions too. The 2nd layer looked similar. The 3rd and 4th layers were just membrane covered albumen. No yolks anywhere. And the trio looked like maybe 1 had a yolk. The other hens grabbed them and ran off. *gag*

 

[Rakaiachick]

I just wondered if your chicken layed a lash egg? It's actually an infection in the reproductive system and she may need antibiotics.

 

[tiny529]

Just gave them some minced garlic. Holy frijole! I'm surprised that I didn't lose any skin, since I stupidly poured it into my hand and offered it to them! After 9 years with chickens, you'd think I'd know better.

 

[tiny529]

It sounds like she has a reproductive problem, possibly impacted oviduct. Do you have any pictures of the multilayered egg? Do you feed her layer feed and have crushed oyster shell free chipoice? I would be tempted to give her some human calcium tablet or Tums for a few days to see if it helps. If not, it would be best for her to stop laying. In some areas vets can treat with hormone implants to stop laying. Has she laid consistantly all these years except for during her yearly molt? Here is some reading:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tem/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

Oh! And yes! She had been laying normally, as far as I know. Though maybe she hasn’t been and I haven’t realized? We have gotten a few oddly shaped eggs recently and a couple of shell-less eggs though. All of my girls are getting up there in years (this hen is actually my youngest) so we just attribute weird eggs to old age. My oldest gal turned 9 this year.

 

[Chicalina]

I don’t think there is much you can do when the production hens start having egg issues. If she seems otherwise well, I would maybe give her a multivitamin booster and keep an eye on her, ensuring she is eating and drinking ok. Their reproductive tracts start to go wonky after a while. Watch out for her next egg, which might take a week to come, and check she doesn't get egg bound or pass just yolk/white.

I'm also a fan of ACV and garlic as catch all general health booster remedies, just because.

 

[Malquid]

I buy large tubs of minced dried garlic at the feed store and just put a small cup in with their layer pellets. They love it. With kitchen jar garlic just do the same.

I've never tried giving them a fresh bulb of garlic. Maybe they'd like that though idk!

Great! Just what I need. Chickens with garlic breath

 

[Punkybrewster]

I was thinking lash egg too.
That would present as looking like an egg inside an egg with all the lash layers.
Your description of it sounds similar.