Please help new layer

[Chocy_duck]

I have a Cayuga 4months old the last Friday she layed a little white egg no problem at all. Then Saturday she layed just membrane with a little bubble of an egg. She did struggle a tad with this one. She hasn't layed in 2 days and I feel an egg in her. She is acting completly normal and pooing normal. I've given her calcium and warm baths but nothing is coming out.
Is this normal? Will she pass this on her own?
Thankyou x

 

[SolarDuck]

I've been having a lot of soft shell issues with my girl because she also started laying recently. Her issues haven't gotten any better over a couple weeks so that's why I'm going to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully I'll learn a little more while I'm there. I think for now you should just keep an eye on her, it should be pretty apparent when she really starts trying to push a soft shelled egg out. After I got my first good hard shelled egg from my girl, she stopped laying for a couple days and then the next day she laid a hard shelled egg in the morning, and a soft shelled egg later in the day. You might see something similar.

 

[SolarDuck]

Its weird because she isn't acting strange at all. When I exam her sister who isn't laying she has a soft underbelly and nothing sticks out, but on the new layer I feel her sternum bone and at the end of that I feel a lump. Is that an egg trapped? Or an organ?

I think if it was an egg she was trying to get out, and you were touching it, it would be pretty sensitive to her and she would probably react to you touching it. When mine is trying to get a soft egg out and I touch her down near there she kind of jumps a little because I think its a little painful and sensitive down there. I'm not sure if it is a bone or not.

 

[SolarDuck]

They do know when they need it, it might take them a little while to get a hang of it but they will know how much they need. Its not bad for them.

 

[SolarDuck]

let me know what your vet says. We don't have any vets near us that treat ducks.

Okay so, I just got back from the Vet, I told her that I recently switched to Mazuri Waterfowl Breeder feed for them, and she was thrilled with that, she said she would've recommended it to me if I wasn't already feeding it, so I think it would be a good idea for you to switch to it as well if you can, here is a link from chewy where you can buy it. '

https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-breede...XMPpU7r6_CFOZADDnao1bHxxr0nktPjxoCY04QAvD_BwE

The vet also recommended that I continue to give her calcium supplements in the form of calcium citrate + D3 pills that are available at walmart, she suggested I continue with 400mg of calcium pills every day for her.

 

[Chocy_duck]

Tha

If she had an egg stuck, your duck would not be able to poop. Everything comes out the same hole. If she was egg bound, it would be extremely serious and the duck could die from it because it can't defficate. However, since your duck is drinking, eating, and pooping normally, it is unlikely it is egg bound.

Odd eggs are pretty normal when they start laying. Make sure duck is getting plenty of calcium now that she is laying. I had a duck that took a couple weeks before she starting laid solid eggs. At the beginning, she was really bad about getting her calcium. The soft egg probably broke and your duck may have eaten the insides of the egg.

That does make alot of sense. I have just given her another warm bath. Yes she does jump when I touch it. I've put out oyster shell next to there food and I can tell they have been into it as its gone down lots and there was lots at the bottom of their water bowls. She is acting completly normal running around and pooing normal. Is eating it bad for them? Do they know they need to eat the shell? Maybe I'm just a stressed first time mama. Thankyou

 

[Chocy_duck]

They do know when they need it, it might take them a little while to get a hang of it but they will know how much they need. Its not bad for them.

Ok thankyou as they are mostly free ranging and alk there food is in their coop. I hate a call duck laying great and she always goes in there to have some food and shell and I've had no issues with her at all xx

 

[Quatie]

Tha

That does make alot of sense. I have just given her another warm bath. Yes she does jump when I touch it. I've put out oyster shell next to there food and I can tell they have been into it as its gone down lots and there was lots at the bottom of their water bowls. She is acting completly normal running around and pooing normal. Is eating it bad for them? Do they know they need to eat the shell? Maybe I'm just a stressed first time mama. Thankyou

Mine have not really eaten the oyster shells. I was hoping they would when I had three adults and 12 juveniles. I fed my females twice a day specially with some layer feed. You can also feed them calcium separately. I think it is calcium citrate, but I have not had to do that yet. You can also get them calcium gluconate to help with passing an egg if she gets egg bound.

I was very stressed when my female had soft eggs. I kept looking for her to go the bathroom because I was worried she would be egg bound. She didn't lay every day during those times.

 

[Chocy_duck]

L

When you say just membrane with a little bubble of an egg, did it look like this? One of my girls laid it today and I'm bringing into our vet appointment tomorrow and hopefully they will be able to tell me a little more about it, if its similar to what you saw ill let you know what the vet says.

let me know what your vet says. We don't have any vets near us that treat ducks.

 

[Chocy_duck]

Okay so, I just got back from the Vet, I told her that I recently switched to Mazuri Waterfowl Breeder feed for them, and she was thrilled with that, she said she would've recommended it to me if I wasn't already feeding it, so I think it would be a good idea for you to switch to it as well if you can, here is a link from chewy where you can buy it. '

https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-breede...XMPpU7r6_CFOZADDnao1bHxxr0nktPjxoCY04QAvD_BwE

The vet also recommended that I continue to give her calcium supplements in the form of calcium citrate + D3 pills that are available at walmart, she suggested I continue with 400mg of calcium pills every day for her.

I live Australia and I switched to the one her breeder uses and have given her a calcium boost. She seems to be doing fine now but hasn't layed again since. She is acting totally normal and having fun with her flock