Nasty thing in nest box-Internal layer?/graphic pics

[JulieNKC]

My poor production red has had problems ever since I got her in March. She laid great for the first month, pretty speckeled eggs that were tan on top and brown on the bottom with a white ring around the middle. So her eggs have been easy to spot. Then the shells started to get thin. 3 months ago or so she quit. One day she was laying down, not even walking around. I brought her in and treated her with ACV a few days, thinking it was sour crop and she seemed to get better, but no laying still. The last few days I saw her in the nest box, but never found any of her eggs. I just went to the coop and found this nasty thing in there.

I'm not sure how old she is, she was an adult when I got her and I was told between 1-2 years. So, is she an internal layer? She seems ok energy and appetite wise, acts pretty normal. Is she suffering? Is there anything I should do?

 

[speckledhen]

For every thing you see like that in a nest, there are probably others inside her oviducts or abdomen, so the odds are that yes, she is laying internally. Had something like that almost identical from my RIR who is almost 6 yrs old be expelled in the nest a few weeks ago. Hers was full of gooey albumen, but no yolk. I do expect to lose her soon, but it's hard to say. She could go on for months and you won't see any change in her, just probably no eggs.

As to whether she is suffering, it's impossible to say for sure. Chickens do not usually show pain much at all, not so we can interpret it as such. She may feel off, may feel bloated, like she has to lay, etc. All you can do is give her the best care you know how and let her live out her life. If she starts losing massive amounts of weight and becomes weak, then you can make a decision to let her go on her own or help her out. Surgery is the only actual cure for internal laying and they often don't survive it.

 

[JulieNKC]

Ok, thank you. She is still the first to come running for treats, so I guess as long as she seems happy I'll let her be. I have a couple other hatchery chickens, but the new chicks I've gotten and plan on getting are all mutts, so I'm hoping she'll be the last with this problem. I'd rather have a few less eggs and healthier chickens.

Not to mention less gross nestbox finds that put me off eggs for awhile.