My Hen laid a deformed hard-boiled egg HELP ?!?!

[Loki]

Hello everyone, I have been reading this form for some time but this is my first post. I am new to chickens so this may be a common thing but I have searched the net and haven’t found anything even close to it.

A few days ago we picked up four new laying hens. The farmer had them kept in very bad conditions and only fed them cracked corn so we expected some problems form them but to our surprise they all did really well in their new home.

However two days ago one of them started acting funny. She got lethargic, her comb got pail, she started growling (yes growling like a dog) and didn’t leave the floor of the coop, she also had a lot of poop around her tail feathers. We thought she might be egg-bound but in this small town we live in we couldn’t find a vet to take her too. Tonight my wife brought her in the house and put her in a warm pan of water. After that we took the hen and put her under a heat lamp. About an hour later, she started breathing very heavy and contracting. She passed a few small runny poops and urinated and then we watched as her vent opened and she pushed out what looked like a small glob of foam. It was white and bumpy and had a three inch tail. It was rubbery, the consistency of an over-done hard-boiled egg. There was no yolk inside of it but when we squeezed it some yellowish liquid oozed out. I know what a soft-shelled egg is and I am pretty sure this wasn’t it. I cannot even begin to imagine what this could have been, it looked like part of her insides. As of right now she seams to be doing a little better and this is the only one of the four hens that has had any problems. There is no hope at all of getting her to a vet until Monday when I have to make a five hour drive to the nearest animal hospital, so if anyone here can help it would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!!

Additional Info:
1 year old
Isa Brown Hen (Brown Egg Layer)
Free-Range
For the last week she has been fed Pullet layer feed, Oyster shells, Left over veggie scraps, bugs ect…. Before that I was told she was on a diet of cracked corn, she was kept inside an enclosed 8x10 coop with about 40 other hens.

 

[emilyweck]

I am so sorry!

I would not use a heat lamp at this point. Keep her in a dark place so she doesn't get triggered to produce another egg.

Did you get her vent cleaned off after the fact?

I would make sure you get water down her, no matter what method. She needs it. Food too!

That's all I can help with. Sounds like you're doing all you can do. Just give her some time alone and in a dark spot. She may just need time to recover from her traumatic experience.

 

[Loki]

She is drinking water on her own, she actually started drinking her bath water, then when I put her under the heat lamp I gave her fresh water and she drank that too. I put some feed in with her and she nibbled a bit after she passed that thing she passed (which to me looked like a large chunk of scrambled egg with a tail). She is still growling, and her vent in still puffy and throbbing like she still has something stuck, but she seems too tired to try to push it out.
The heat lamp we have her under is a red lamp so it's not bright and doesn't resemble any natural light at all.
If there is anything else I can do for her PLEASE HELP!!! I'm really worried and I just want her to be ok!

Thank you again in advance!!


P.S.

Her name is Hope

 

[havoc hen]

I've had a couple of ex battery chickens that have done simular things,one thing I would suggest is giving her some liquid calcium,you can get this from a health food shop or chemist it's often orange flavoured,you will need to syringe 1ml down her throat ( might need 2 to do this for the first time).This replaces the free calcium in the body used by muscles so it will help her with contractions especially if she struggled a bit.Either way it wouldn't hurt her to have some.

 

[AHappychick]

well the heat lamp may be too warm for her just be careful with it, sometimes they just get a hick-up in the system maybe the change of diet to real feed messed her up a bit. let her rest and see how she is later. Make sure you dont over heat her though. I would give her some oil oil soaked bread to I know it is for crop issues but maybe it would help greese the tracks so to speak. and liquid vitamins and yogurt mash.

Good luck

 

[NotTheMomma]

Sounds like she is too hot. Remove the heat lamp. She might be egg bound? Try the warm bath and see if she relaxes enough to pass it.

She's eating ok? Able to walk around? Noticed she was drinking lots, and thats probablu because she is too hot. Too much heat can kill as quickly as being cold.

 

[Loki]

She's not too hot, the room she is in is a pretty cold room, I put her in the basement to keep her out of the sunlight. She wasn't eating yesterday at all, but I got her to eat some lettuce today, and she has perked up quite a bit now since she passed that thing, and rested over night. She doesn't seem overly thirsty either, she's just taking in water on her own.
She seems to be doing much better today, but she is still growling, but only when I put her down. Before and immediately after she passed that thing it was more of a moaning growl, like she was in pain. Now it sounds more like she is unhappy, but like I said, it's only when I put her down, once I walk away she's quiet again. It was constant before too.

 

[emilyweck]

Sounds like she is doing a little better. Maybe give her another bath. She may just have messed up her insides a bit while passing her egg (or what was left of it) I agree with the oil and bread suggestion. It can't hurt and would make things easier for her internally.

My thoughts are that if she was only on cracked corn, she probably doesn't have the healthiest/strongest of immune systems. She may just take some extra care to mend versus a typical healthy chicken.

Is she pooping at all? If so, what does it look like? Keep us posted and great job!

 

[artsyrobin]

try giving her some wet food, almost like a mash of her normal food- that would give her some nutrition if she'll eat it

 

[Loki]

I got her to eat a little yogurt now too. She is much more alert and active now, even preening herself a bit!! She is pooping but it's been pretty much clear liquid, which is now my main concern I think. But until a couple of hours ago she hasn't eaten anything for a while so I'm going to keep checking now that I know for sure she has eaten some solid food.
Last night when I brought her in she was laying on the floor of the coop, stretched out, head on the floor and everything. Today she up and about, standing, walking, looking around, eating,... I'm very hopeful for her today. Last night I thought for sure she wouldn't last the night. If there is anything else you guys can think of for me to do for her we would both be very grateful, and I'd really like to know what you all think could be the cause.
Once she is better my concern is how long to keep her out of the coop and away from the rest of the flock? Thank you all very much!!!!