Please Help! An egg has collapsed inside my favourite hen.

[Nats Chickens]

Hi guys. my favourite girl, a Black Star named Jewel, has a had and egg 'collapse' inside of her. [think its called a prolapse ?] anyway, I need to know how you fix this. she is the sweetest little thing and I would be very sad if she passed. I can't do pics [sorry] and she doesn't seem to be in pain. I was alerted to the fact of this problem by there being blood on one of her eggs and I went to have a look in her vent and there was yolk, white and blood coming out [] she doesn't seem to be in pain but please help!! how would you fix this?

 

[Pugsabi]

@rebrascora

 

[sylviethecochin]

@azygous and @casportpony may be able to help as well.

 

[azygous]

Sadly, the outcome is rarely good when an egg collapses inside a hen. I've had it happen to several hens, and while an antibiotic can pull them through the inevitable infection this can cause, they almost never lay again.

So it depends on whether you wish to save this hen because she's a cherished pet or if you would rather cull a hen who will need antibiotic treatment and has a very poor chance of continuing to lay eggs.

If you wish to treat your hen, I recommend amoxicillin 250mg once a day for ten days or divide the dose in half and give twice a day.

 

[casportpony]

Very carefully check the inside of her vent for the membrane or bits of shell. No need to go in more than ~1". I get a couple of these every year, and with prompt treatment, they almost always make a full recovery and continue laying eggs.

What antibiotics can you get in AU? Any chance you can get her to a vet? A vet is really your best option.

If you do decide to give antibiotics, something like Baytril (enrofloxacin) would be the best choice, but it's banned for use in poultry in most countries.

• Baytril (enrofloxacin) dose is 4.54 mg per pound orally twice a day.

Other drugs you could try are Clavamox or Augmentin (Amoxicillin-clavulanate), cephalexin, any sulfa drug, or amoxicillin.

• Clavamox or Augmentin (Amoxicillin-clavulanate) dose is 57 mg per pound orally twice a day.
• The amoxicillin dose is 57 mg per pound orally twice a day. Some formularies say three times a day, but my vet and most other vets suggest just twice a day.

If you decide to use cephalexin or a sulfa drug, let me know and I will look up the dose for you.

 

[Nats Chickens]

Sorry, am a teenager and Dad doesn't believe in taking my chooks to the vet so the best treatment I've got for her [and this is completley random] is disinfectant, bandaids and wormer. also hot baths. yes, I would love to save her because out of 8 birds 4 are mine and she is my first hen and has the most lovely temperament of all 8 girls. [my other 3 are pullets] so I will need some sort of homemade remedy if I am to mend her. I already gave her a warm bath and she is still very lively. it is mid winter here and cause its aussie it isn't that cold so they don't have a very cold proof home [never needed one] so I set her up a bedroom in the old doghouse [still have the dog] and she is now roaming with the others. so are there any homemade remedys for this sorta thing out there?

 

[casportpony]

Sorry, am a teenager and Dad doesn't believe in taking my chooks to the vet so the best treatment I've got for her [and this is completley random] is disinfectant, bandaids and wormer. also hot baths. yes, I would love to save her because out of 8 birds 4 are mine and she is my first hen and has the most lovely temperament of all 8 girls. [my other 3 are pullets] so I will need some sort of homemade remedy if I am to mend her. I already gave her a warm bath and she is still very lively. it is mid winter here and cause its aussie it isn't that cold so they don't have a very cold proof home [never needed one] so I set her up a bedroom in the old doghouse [still have the dog] and she is now roaming with the others. so are there any homemade remedys for this sorta thing out there?

Can you get some calcium for her? that will help her lay down shell and help her muscles get the next egg out. Are you comfortable searching inside her vent for the membrane>

 

[Nats Chickens]

yep. got lots of shell grit. I guess I may have a go if ya give me instructions.

 

[casportpony]

yep. got lots of shell grit.

Human calcium citrate pills would be *much* better. If she were mine I would give 50 mg per pound twice a day for three days.

 

[casportpony]

I guess I may have a go if ya give me instructions.