Odd foot growth- breed or deformity? (cause of egg deformation?)

[Adrianep]

Hi there- thanks for your insights in advance-
I was told she is a Cuckoo Maran- but she doesn't resemble my other one in one particularly aspect- in the foot area where hard nodules that resemble extra toes have been growing. ( as shown) She is a little over one year old and has not molted yet. She has plenty of access to an oyster shell/ eggs shell blend as well has nutritionally balanced 18% protein pellet food. They also have a free run area for daily outings. I also place vitamin rich water with a titch of apple cider vinegar in their run( as shown) along with a bigger fresh water dispenser for the whole flock. Her comb seems vibrant and healthy. She seems fairly healthy and active- her poo looks good as far as I can tell. Sometimes she looks a little dazed and she is definitely the outsider of the flock- sadly.
HOWEVER- my main concern is she has not laid a solid formed egg in two weeks or more. I find a squishy mess in the morning beneath her perch which has yolk in it. ( she has fortunately stopped eating it, I'm pretty sure) Sometimes she gets a very poopy butt and albumen leaks ( maybe?)
I would just like to eliminate things that I may be missing in this. My theory is that these hard nodule things are diverting critical calcium from her healthy egg formation?? Can't seem to be able to isolate what her particular issue is...

 

[DobieLover]

She just has some spurs growing. That's not the problem.
I would feed her a 600 mg calcium tablet with vit D daily for at least a week.
If you haven't done so already, I would clean up her back side.
I would also start her on amoxicillin for a week. I'd give her one 250 mg capsule of FishMox every 8 hours. She does look like she doesn't feel well and one of her shell-less eggs may have broken inside her.
To encourage her to eat her oyster shell better, mix some in with a dollop of Greek yogurt and feed it to her. You can do this with the whole flock. Then put a dollop of yogurt on top of the OS in the container you feed it in to further encourage her to eat it.

 

[Adrianep]

She just has some spurs growing. That's not the problem.
I would feed her a 600 mg calcium tablet with vit D daily for at least a week.
If you haven't done so already, I would clean up her back side.
I would also start her on amoxicillin for a week. I'd give her one 250 mg capsule of FishMox every 8 hours. She does look like she doesn't feel well and one of her shell-less eggs may have broken inside her.
To encourage her to eat her oyster shell better, mix some in with a dollop of Greek yogurt and feed it to her. You can do this with the whole flock. Then put a dollop of yogurt on top of the OS in the container you feed it in to further encourage her to eat it.

Thank you @DobieLover - I had another question- what is FishMox?

 

[LaFleche]

I was told she is a Cuckoo Maran- but she doesn't resemble my other one in one particularly aspect- in the foot area where hard nodules that resemble extra toes have been growing. ( as shown) She is a little over one year old and has not molted yet.

Did you just recently acquire her or did you raise her from chick?

Has she ever laid a normal egg and if so, how did it look, what shell colour?

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you @DobieLover - I had another question- what is FishMox?

Amoxicillin sold for fish. You can find it online.

 

[Adrianep]

Did you just recently acquire her or did you raise her from chick?

Has she ever laid a normal egg and if so, how did it look, what shell colour?

Hi LaFleche
I've had her from a chick stage and yes she was laying just fine med dark brown, well formed eggs at first, but gradually over the last 5 months - they became wonky shaped and lighter brown ( I posted about that awhile back with a picture) but was assured that it was not too unusual, but then they have become further deteriorated to no shell at all as of two? two and a half weeks ago? I suspected she was eating them for a bit, but she's dropped that behavior - unless she is eating whatever minimal shell she does produce, before I get to her in the early morning.

 

[Adrianep]

She just has some spurs growing. That's not the problem.
I would feed her a 600 mg calcium tablet with vit D daily for at least a week.
If you haven't done so already, I would clean up her back side.
I would also start her on amoxicillin for a week. I'd give her one 250 mg capsule of FishMox every 8 hours. She does look like she doesn't feel well and one of her shell-less eggs may have broken inside her.
To encourage her to eat her oyster shell better, mix some in with a dollop of Greek yogurt and feed it to her. You can do this with the whole flock. Then put a dollop of yogurt on top of the OS in the container you feed it in to further encourage her to eat it.

Thank you- doing what I can right now with the fish mox on order- thanks for your insight>

 

[Adrianep]

Amoxicillin sold for fish. You can find it online.

I know you originally suggested a week for this protocol. She's been on this regime for a week and a half with no change. Do you think I should continue unitl I do see a change?

 

[DobieLover]

I know you originally suggested a week for this protocol. She's been on this regime for a week and a half with no change. Do you think I should continue unitl I do see a change?

I would not. If she is not responding to the antibiotic, she either has an infection that is not susceptible to it or she has something else going wrong with her.
Has she left any more broken shell-less eggs?

 

[Adrianep]

Thanks for your response. I think I have found remnants- mixed in with the bedding shavings beneath her perch. Right now she is the only one who is inside at night ( I have a semi closed in nesting box with perches and then an outside fort knox coop where the rest of the flock as been perched in at night- in all these heat we've been having ) She seems perked up right after I give her the fish mox and calcium vit D (ground up pill) int h mornings, but there is questionable poop levels too- in the morning I have not found the usual splats in the last two days. sorry to give questionably pertinent info - just not sure what to do from here. dont mean to put it all on you. sounds like you've got waay more experience than I do. Thanks