newly laying pullet squatting and leaking clear fluid - egg issues? other?

[cityeggs]

Cut tablet into 1/4s

Ack! and only give them 1/4/day? or do I give it all to her? I went to check on her before bed, and she was sleeping on the dropping board (in the corner squeezed in between a few pieces of wood and a brick bc I've been trying to break one of the other pullets from sleeping there, but that's another story for another thread), in a big wet spot and it looked like she'd passed another, much smaller soft shelled egg (so that's 3 eggs in the last 18 hrs, two of which clearly came down the pipe too fast!), so I felt like I had to do something right then.

I poked around on here and saw a comment from azygous in another thread that chickens can swallow much larger things than I'd ever realized, but since I'd never pried a beak open, I broke it in 1/2. After much wrangling (thankfully, she's a very tame pullet, though was insistent that i wasn't gonna get a darned thing in her beak, even if she was still chatting with me happily!), I managed to get both halves of the tablet in one at a time and tried to get her back up on the roost (though, she kept walking off - and then tried to head for the nest boxes), so I'm guessing she's still not feeling too great.

 

[Shezadandy]

Ack! and only give them 1/4/day? or do I give it all to her? I went to check on her before bed, and she was sleeping on the dropping board (in the corner squeezed in between a few pieces of wood and a brick bc I've been trying to break one of the other pullets from sleeping there, but that's another story for another thread), in a big wet spot and it looked like she'd passed another, much smaller soft shelled egg (so that's 3 eggs in the last 18 hrs, two of which clearly came down the pipe too fast!), so I felt like I had to do something right then.

I poked around on here and saw a comment from azygous in another thread that chickens can swallow much larger things than I'd ever realized, but since I'd never pried a beak open, I broke it in 1/2. After much wrangling (thankfully, she's a very tame pullet, though was insistent that i wasn't gonna get a darned thing in her beak, even if she was still chatting with me happily!), I managed to get both halves of the tablet in one at a time and tried to get her back up on the roost (though, she kept walking off - and then tried to head for the nest boxes), so I'm guessing she's still not feeling too great.

The much easier way is to grid the Tums into a powder and sprinkle it over a scrambled egg. Or mix up a little sugar water, toss with mealworms, then sprinkle on the Tums so it sticks (like a powdered donut).

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would give the Tums if that's what you have.
You can break it up if you need to and give her the pieces or grind it up. It doesn't dissolve in liquids well though.

The passing of another soft shelled and a big wet spot is concerning. Can you tell if the membrane was intact when she laid it or if she's got albumen (whites) or egg leaking from the vent?
IF she's leaking or you feel that the membrane may have broken while she was laying or if she's acting poorly this morning, I would consider giving an antibiotic as well. Amoxcillin is a good choice. You can sometimes find Fish Antibiotic (Fish Mox) (Amoxicillin) at feed stores like TSC or you can order it online.

When you can, I would get a bottle of Calcium with D3 to have on hand. You just pop the whole tablet in the beak and let the hen swallow it.

 

[cityeggs]

She's got her tail up this morning and came over to say hi and chat with me, so she seems to be feeling better. I only had time to take a quick glance this morning at the spot from 9pm - it looks watery/wet rather than gelatinous like albumin, but whatever the second partially formed egg thing was, it was small and shriveled up. When I clean the dropping board in a little bit, I'll take a picture and investigate further.

The first soft-shelled egg at 5pm, by the time I saw it, the membrane was clearly broken but I did not see more fluid coming out of her vent, and she wasn't squatting anymore at that point, so I'd lean towards thinking it had broken post-laying and that she'd pecked at it? But I can't be sure. I hadn't actually seen her poop in all that time, other than the clear liquid, but below her spot on the roosting bar were solid mostly normal looking droppings this morning, though slightly lighter in color than typical - a little on the ashy/chalky side -maybe that's from the Tums? I'll pick up some Cal-citrate w D today to keep giving her for the next few days.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

It's unfortunate that RSLs have so many issues like this. Typically they have a lifespan of 2-3 years, compared to the average 5-8 for a chicken. Why? Because by 2 years old, they've absolutely obliterated their health and reproductive tract by laying so many eggs their bodies literally cannot keep up. Humans bred them this way. Typically, they either die of some horrific egg-laying issues or simply just crap out. Some are exceptions, thankfully, but still. So unfortunate.
Yours is already experiencing issues so young and new....I worry for her. I hope she makes it through whatever's going on. Hugs to you both.

 

[cityeggs]

It's unfortunate that RSLs have so many issues like this. Typically they have a lifespan of 2-3 years, compared to the average 5-8 for a chicken. Why? Because by 2 years old, they've absolutely obliterated their health and reproductive tract by laying so many eggs their bodies literally cannot keep up. Humans bred them this way. Typically, they either die of some horrific egg-laying issues or simply just crap out. Some are exceptions, thankfully, but still. So unfortunate.
Yours is already experiencing issues so young and new....I worry for her. I hope she makes it through whatever's going on. Hugs to you both.

Thank you. I was torn about getting one in the first place because of this, but I didn't feel like I was equipped to deal with rehoming a bunch of cockerels, so wanted to have at least one sure pullet (as it was, out of 4, we did have one anyway, but at least just 1). I don't think I'd go this route next time - she's very sweet and more friendly and chatty (without being loud, at least yet) than my Australorp or GLW, but while I'm hoping this is just a pullet thing that her body will figure out, I too worry that we won't have her for very long. It's insane to me that she's laid every day but one (either before or after the double yolker mega-egg - I can't remember) since she started two weeks ago - and 3 yesterday, poor girl!

 

[Tonyroo]

You can supplement there existing diet with finely chopped kale (extra vitamins and minerals)and shredded cheddar cheese. Those are a good source of calcium.

I place the chopped kale in a bowl and grab a handful of shredded cheese to sprinkle on top they love it. Plus it adds an extra source of calcium for them.

My hens are a bit picky about what they eat and that includes there layer pellets or all flock crumble.

I've never had egg issues from this.
This is just a suggestion.

 

[cityeggs]

You can supplement there existing diet with finely chopped kale (extra vitamins and minerals)and shredded cheddar cheese. Those are a good source of calcium.

I place the chopped kale in a bowl and grab a handful of shredded cheese to sprinkle on top they love it. Plus it adds an extra source of calcium for them.

My hens are a bit picky about what they eat and that includes there layer pellets or all flock crumble.

I've never had egg issues from this.
This is just a suggestion.

I'd forgotten about kale being high in calcium - thank you! I'll make sure to plant some extra just for the hens this year.

 

[cityeggs]

I forgot to update last night - the wet spot from the other night had to have been albumin - it made the sand/PDZ stick like glue to the dropping board, and the egg was clearly empty by the time I saw it.

I ground up the calcium and put it in some mash and fed her separately, and she ate most of it, but she didn't eat it all, so I think today I'll try the mealworm/donught method today. It's much more reliable to just give her the pill, but last time it took me about 30 min to get it in her beak, and I kept worrying that I'd hurt her in the process (and now that she's feeling better, she might resist even more!)

She laid her solid pullet egg this morning and seems chipper and inquisitive again today, so it seems that for now at least her body's on track again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad she's feeling better.
Hopefully this was just a glitch she had to work out.

You may find the article and photos helpful when giving medications.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/