My hen laid a cracked egg, and seems to be struggling. What should I do?

[ForestAlice]

Cloaca/poop pictures ahead!!

I went to let my girls out this morning, and noticed that one of my girls, Duchess, was in her nest box, and thought nothing of it. I just went back outside to see them, (its about 4PM,) and I couldn't find her. outside with her sisters. I remembered that she was in her nest box this morning, checked there and found her, but something was wrong. There was a cracked egg underneath her that looked soft, (possibly a calcium deficiency?) but she still had shell and what looks like poop on her rear end. I checked her cloaca, and she seemed to be pushing a bit and straining. I'm worried about her being in pain. She's been in her nest box all day. Should I give her a warm epsom salt bath to calm her and clean off her butt? Or do you think this could be more serious, and I should isolate and monitor her? What should I do?

Here's what her rear end looks like:


Here's what was underneath her in her nest box:



Thank you all for your time. Any advice is greatly appreciated! I'll be keeping an eye on my Duchess in the meantime.

 

[Rammy]

Oh, wow! I wonder if she still has something inside from the egg cracking? I dont think an epsoms salt bath would hurt. Hopefully someone else with more helpful knowledge will answer to give better advice.
Maybe @speckledhen?

 

[speckledhen]

I actually keep some KY liquid around to drip into the vent. They will draw it in when it drips on the cloaca just like if it was semen and it will help lubricate the passage a bit. I also give them emergency calcium. You can buy it in liquid form at Tractor Supply, but you can also crush a high potency Tums, maybe stir it into something she will eat like soft scrambled eggs or plain yogurt. Then, all you can really do is put her in a dark place and let her rest and hope she can pass it. My 12 yr old EE hen had many prolapses trying to pass shells that crushed inside her as she got really old. She finally has quit laying, hopefully for good, because those prolapses can be so hard to deal with.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Soft eggs are not always a calcium deficiency. My EE hen's was just due to old age, but some hens have issues processing calcium if they don't get enough Vit D, so that's another thing to consider. Maybe add a poultry vitamin supplement to her regimen.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get her drinking some water, and if you have a vitamin/electrolyte supplement, that would be good to use. Half of a calcium tablet or Tums can be helpful if she is suffering from a calcium deficiency, or is egg bound. Calcium and drinking water can help to pass an egg. Sometimes they become eggbound with a soft shell-less egg which can be difficult to pass. There also could be a impacted oviduct or salpingitis infection. The yellow dropping in the picture could be from E.coli infection, just hard to know without a vet. If she is very weak, a bath might push her over the edge. I would offer the water and some wet feed or cooked egg, and make her comfortable.

 

[ForestAlice]

@Eggcessive
@speckledhen
Thank you both for your help. She seemed to be doing well, so we gave her a warm soak and dried her off- but while we did, she passed something unusual. My dad did some research and said that it is likely a lash egg, and that my sweet girl is likely going to pass away soon because this kind of thing doesn’t happen until the infection is too far gone.

I’d like to know what you have to say. Could she have a deadly infection- and could it spread to my two other hens?
We’ve isolated her, as well as our two other hens- and tomorrow were going to pressure wash the coop in the case of it being contagious.
In the meantime, I’ll get her some clean water and see if we have any vitamins or calcium supplements in our emergency kit. Thank you so much. I’ll be saying some prayers for my Duchess.

 

[speckledhen]

I’d like to know what you have to say. Could she have a deadly infection- and could it spread to my two other hens?

That kind of infection doesn't spread bird to bird so no worries there; it would be similar to you having an ovarian infection yourself, in a way, peculiar to you alone. I've had hens pass strange stuff, but they were my hatchery gals. Hard to know what will happen. Sometimes it can just be a glitch. Just keep watching out for her. She is lucky to have a caring owner.

 

[ForestAlice]

That kind of infection doesn't spread bird to bird so no worries there; it would be similar to you having an ovarian infection yourself, in a way, peculiar to you alone. I've had hens pass strange stuff, but they were my hatchery gals. Hard to know what will happen. Sometimes it can just be a glitch. Just keep watching out for her. She is lucky to have a caring owner.

Thank you so very much. I’ll continue to watch her and my other hens very closely. Please take care

 

[Eggcessive]

That appears to be either an egg membrane or a misshapen shelless egg. Can you cut it in half and take a picture? Many times we don’t know exactly what is going on until after death when a necropsy may be done at home of by a state vet. The main thing is to try and make her comfortable. Hens may live for some time with reproductive issues. Sometimes they stop laying altogether which can sometimes be a blessing. Here is some reading about some of the different reproductive disorders in chickens:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tem/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/salpingitis

 

[ForestAlice]

That appears to be either an egg membrane or a misshapen shelless egg. Can you cut it in half and take a picture? Many times we don’t know exactly what is going on until after death when a necropsy may be done at home of by a state vet. The main thing is to try and make her comfortable. Hens may live for some time with reproductive issues. Sometimes they stop laying altogether which can sometimes be a blessing. Here is some reading about some of the different reproductive disorders in chickens:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...tem/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/salpingitis

Thank you very much. The articles on EYP and salpingitis seemed to be the most accurate to her condition. We’ll be calling the vet today, as well. Hoping for the best. Thanks again.

 

[ForestAlice]

@Eggcessive
Update on Duchess- I’ve moved her to a quieter spot with food and water, but she doesn’t seem to be interested. I’ve been petting her and humming to her a bit, so she seems calm. However, her eyes are closed, and she’s a little hunched, so I’m assuming that she’s in pain... She passed something, so I took pictures. Does it give you any clues as to what could be going on?

I’ve yet to cut what she passed last night in half, so when I do that, I’ll tag you. Thank you for your time.