New layer has egg yolk coming out of her vent

[Hazeljodock]

Hi Everyone, I'm new here and hoping you can help me. One of my chickens layed her first egg yesterday, which was perfect, though smal, and today she hasn't layed, but seems to have egg yolk coming out of her vent, and her vent is continuously pulsing. Otherwise she's acting normally. She's walking around, pecking the ground and happily ate a marigold I offered her. I just watched her take a normal dust bath. Has her second egg broken inside her? The biggest amount of egg yolk-looking stuff was under the roost, as if the egg broke early this morning before she even left the coop, there's also some dribbled down the ramp out of the coop. I did notice her passing some liquid yesterday after she layed her egg as well. I suppose it is possible that another chicken layed the egg and she is egg-bound, but I don't think any of the others are particularly close to laying. Thank you for any help!

 

[Hazeljodock]

I also want to add that after her dust bath she had a lot of dirt stuck in the feathers under her vent as if they are wet from discharge.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It does sound like she had a soft shell or shell-less egg break inside. Do you feed layer feed yet, and do you have crushed oyster shell in a separate container available? If not, I would. A human calcium tablet with vitamin D3 could be given today to help with muscle contractions and making shells stronger. Offer water as well. You can insert a clean finger inside her vent to feel around for any membrane or retained shell. Does she seem lethargic or slow today? Hopefully this is just a one time thing.

 

[Hazeljodock]

She seems absolutely normal today other than passing the liquid. I started feeding the hens layer feed a little less than a week ago when they turned 18 weeks, but haven't been supplementing with calcium. Most of them aren't showing signs of being ready to lay. I'll try feeling inside for broken shell pieces. Her egg shell yesterday was quite hard-- harder than eggs from the store anyway.

 

[Hazeljodock]

I did insert a finger into her vent (very new experience for me!) And felt around as well as I could while trying not to hurt her. I didn't feel any pieces of shell, or really anything at all in her vent. I also haven't seen anything resembling egg shell in her poop. It's just really watery now, as if there is egg white coming out with her poop. It seems like the yolk was all during the night or right after she woke up. Could it be that that egg just didn't have a shell on it since she's so young? Maybe her body just hasn't figured out how to make eggs properly? She's not even 15 weeks old yet. Yesterday's egg was just so perfect. That's what's weird to me.

 

[Hazeljodock]

I did insert a finger into her vent (very new experience for me!) And felt around as well as I could while trying not to hurt her. I didn't feel any pieces of shell, or really anything at all in her vent. I also haven't seen anything resembling egg shell in her poop. It's just really watery now, as if there is egg white coming out with her poop. It seems like the yolk was all during the night or right after she woke up. Could it be that that egg just didn't have a shell on it since she's so young? Maybe her body just hasn't figured out how to make eggs properly? She's not even 15 weeks old yet. Yesterday's egg was just so perfect. That's what's weird to me.

Also, yesterday before she layed her egg she went in and out of the best boxes for a long time, scratching around with her vent pulsing before leaving again. Finally she layed her egg on the ground just outside the coop.

 

[raggiedoll88]

Also, yesterday before she layed her egg she went in and out of the best boxes for a long time, scratching around with her vent pulsing before leaving again. Finally she layed her egg on the ground just outside the coop.

Is she doing well now? Was it just a one-time thing?

My duck just started laying eggs less than a week ago and so far had pretty much consistently laid two per day. This morning I watched her lay two eggs in the coop and then about fifteen minutes later she laid a third egg IN THE POOL... And then maybe fifteen minutes after that I saw her "poop" out some egg yolk/white. I don't know if I should be worried since she's acting fine otherwise and maybe her body is just figuring out what to do since it's her first week of laying, but the tail pulsing and shell-less egg "poop" definitely has me concerned. So I came on here to look for help and your story seems very similar to mine... So I'm wondering how your little lady is doing and hoping that all went well with your girl and that all will be good with mine too

 

[Hazeljodock]

Well, so it's not resolved, actually. She layed an egg every other day and leaked lots of fluid the rest of the time for several days, then one day she layed a double yolk egg that was covered in yellow stuff and seemed to have a bit of membrane stuck to it, and now it's been about 3 days and she hasn't layed anything. Her vent has mostly stopped pulsing, she stopped leaking fluid and she's acting like she had never started laying to begin with. It's weird. I have an appointment to take her the vet tomorrow to see if he can tell me what's going on. I have offered oyster shell and crushed eggshells, but she doesn't seem interested in them. I don't know if I've stressed her out with my constant checking on her and fooling with her to the point where she's quit laying, or what.

I don't know much about ducks, but I didn't know it was possible to lay two eggs per day, let alone three! That's crazy!

 

[Hazeljodock]

Hmm. I just realized I had a typo an an earlier post. I meant to say she's not 19 weeks old yet (though she is 19 weeks now). Geez, 15 weeks would be very early! Sorry.

 

[raggiedoll88]

Well, so it's not resolved, actually. She layed an egg every other day and leaked lots of fluid the rest of the time for several days, then one day she layed a double yolk egg that was covered in yellow stuff and seemed to have a bit of membrane stuck to it, and now it's been about 3 days and she hasn't layed anything. Her vent has mostly stopped pulsing, she stopped leaking fluid and she's acting like she had never started laying to begin with. It's weird. I have an appointment to take her the vet tomorrow to see if he can tell me what's going on. I have offered oyster shell and crushed eggshells, but she doesn't seem interested in them. I don't know if I've stressed her out with my constant checking on her and fooling with her to the point where she's quit laying, or what.

I don't know much about ducks, but I didn't know it was possible to lay two eggs per day, let alone three! That's crazy!

Oh no, poor girl! Sorry to hear it's still not resolved but glad you've got her a vet appointment to figure it all out!

I've offered oyster shell too buy none seen interested in it. I feel like now I'm just paranoid watching this one duck to see what what is going to come out of her! Ever since she expelled that bit of yolk/white she has seemed fine -- eating, drinking, swimming and running around with her friends -- but I'm a nervous first time duck mama and seeing that come out of her thoroughly freaked me out!

And I had no idea that they could lay three in one day -- heck, three in half an hour! -- either. I know this is only her first week of laying so I'm hoping that her body is just wacky because it's getting everything figured out and in time it'll become more regulated.

And yeah, 15 weeks would be SUPER young! My girls just turned 23 weeks (Minnie started laying at 2 days past 22 weeks) -- but I'm pretty sure it's normal for ducks to start laying a bit after chickens anyway since they're a bit bigger in general.

Good luck at the vet tomorrow! Hope all goes well! I'd love to know what you find out at the appointment