Please Help! Eggbound & Possible Prolapsed Vent

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

Chickens are not vocal when they don't feel well. Unlike us humans when sick who complain to everyone who will listen, sick or injured chickens go mute because they have an instinct not to call attention to themselves both because the others will pick on them while vulnerable and to protect the flock from opportunistic predators.

A normal hen getting ready to lay an egg will loudly advertise to everyone to prepare for a spectacular event never before seen in all the long history of egg laying. They then go into the nest where they settle in quietly. The egg is laid and then the real show begins when the hen bursts out of the nest loudly proclaiming her majestic feat. Often the other hens will join in the loud celebration.

The louder a chicken is, the better they are feeling.

That is incredibly helpful and makes me feel so much better! Thank you so much for the explanation. I got a good chuckle out of it too. My little Mari sure does make a lot of noise. The faverolles are very dramatic.

 

[Tiffany Wikk]

Chickens are not vocal when they don't feel well. Unlike us humans when sick who complain to everyone who will listen, sick or injured chickens go mute because they have an instinct not to call attention to themselves both because the others will pick on them while vulnerable and to protect the flock from opportunistic predators.

A normal hen getting ready to lay an egg will loudly advertise to everyone to prepare for a spectacular event never before seen in all the long history of egg laying. They then go into the nest where they settle in quietly. The egg is laid and then the real show begins when the hen bursts out of the nest loudly proclaiming her majestic feat. Often the other hens will join in the loud celebration.

The louder a chicken is, the better they are feeling.

That makes so much sense! I always felt so bad for her because she would seem so confused and crying like she wanted help. But I guess she is just very happy. Haha!
The Salmon Faverolle have a bit of a different voice too, so it sounds more complainy. Now anytime she screams like that I'll realize she's just letting me know she's feeling well!
This makes me feel so much better. She sure is a funny chicken. She is by far noisier than our rooster!

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’m not allowed to have roosters where I live in suburbia. If the powers that be heard them, they would ban laying hens and allow roosters!

 

[agarnp]

Okie dokie! This is our first time owning chickens and we raised them from little chicks. My poor little Leeli. Thanks for explaining so I don't freak out too much.

I think hydration may be important too - I pray she makes it through alright

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I think hydration may be important too - I pray she makes it through alright

Unfortunately, our poor Leeli died last week. It was too much for her little body to handle. Thank you for your kindness.

 

[MidwifeMamaHawk]

It's very squishy. It's definitely soft shelled. I'm so happy she layed it. What might the yellow stuff be if the egg it unharmed? Is there still more of the possible second egg in there?

I'm confused because they have free choice microna poultry grit calcium and oyster shells in the run. So they have access to calcium. Do y'all have any advice on how to prevent this in the future?

I had one lovely little hen that just was more prone to having soft-shelled eggs and would occasionally get egg-bound. Despite have the same diet and access to oyster shell as the others, as well as being the same breed. We tried giving her calcium but that didn't seem to affect the rate of it happening to her. Maybe an issue with her ability to absorb it?

I think I removed a flat, empty, squishy egg shell from her more than 10 times over 3 years. She would otherwise lay 5-7 normal eggs every week. When she wasn't feeling well the only thing she owuld eat ewas wet cat food. She was the lowest in the pecking order but for wet cat food she would kamikaze launch herself over the other, bigger, chickens. Thanks for letting me relive my "Chicken Little" adventures a little bit.

I am sorry your little hen died. I hope you have many more chicken adventures in your future! The joy is worth the pain!

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I had one lovely little hen that just was more prone to having soft-shelled eggs and would occasionally get egg-bound. Despite have the same diet and access to oyster shell as the others, as well as being the same breed. We tried giving her calcium but that didn't seem to affect the rate of it happening to her. Maybe an issue with her ability to absorb it?

I think I removed a flat, empty, squishy egg shell from her more than 10 times over 3 years. She would otherwise lay 5-7 normal eggs every week. When she wasn't feeling well the only thing she owuld eat ewas wet cat food. She was the lowest in the pecking order but for wet cat food she would kamikaze launch herself over the other, bigger, chickens. Thanks for letting me relive my "Chicken Little" adventures a little bit.

I am sorry your little hen died. I hope you have many more chicken adventures in your future! The joy is worth the pain!

I wonder if that is what happened with Leeli too. She definitely had access to lots of calcium. Maybe her body just didn't absorb it right.

This was the first time Leeli ever had this problem. It happened so fast. It's definitely been hard losing her. I miss her a lot.

Your hen reminds me a little of Leeli. She was one of the smallest hens we had (even though our largest hen is the same breed). She used to jump into the food bowl and stand in the center while all the others ate from the outside. It was so funny to watch.

Thank you for being so kind.
I love my chickens a lot, they are definitely hard to take care of, but they are so sweet.

 

[caitlinstokes]

How is she

 

[Cinnabar45]

I'm so sorry you lost your Leeli. It's too late for her, but perhaps the following may save another hen. In addition to the calcium citrate, massaging the vent with a little olive oil may help you (or the hen) expel the egg.

A homeopathic recommendation is to give the hen either Pulsatilla 3x or Silicea 6C. (The latter is probably easier to obtain.) I haven't had to treat any of my girls for egg-binding, but Silicea (silica) is a remedy homeopaths use to expel things that the body doesn't want -- like splinters or embedded ticks. Makes sense to me that it would work on a bound egg.

Just mix a few pellets in the hen's drinking water (assuming she's isolated from the other birds). In my experience, animals can sense what they need, and a hen who needs Silicea will go for it.

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I'm so sorry you lost your Leeli. It's too late for her, but perhaps the following may save another hen. In addition to the calcium citrate, massaging the vent with a little olive oil may help you (or the hen) expel the egg.

A homeopathic recommendation is to give the hen either Pulsatilla 3x or Silicea 6C. (The latter is probably easier to obtain.) I haven't had to treat any of my girls for egg-binding, but Silicea (silica) is a remedy homeopaths use to expel things that the body doesn't want -- like splinters or embedded ticks. Makes sense to me that it would work on a bound egg.

Just mix a few pellets in the hen's drinking water (assuming she's isolated from the other birds). In my experience, animals can sense what they need, and a hen who needs Silicea will go for it.

Thanks so much for your kindness! I definitely learned a lot of information from this situation. We are always gonna keep calcium citrate with D3 on hand to give as soon as we see signs of egg binding. We actually tried using a little olive oil around her vent. Thank you for the suggestion.