Possible Laying Emergency

[Serotonin]

Please help! I went out to the coop this afternoon to find one of my hens' vent all bloody. She was struggling to pass an egg and was producing quite a lot of blood. I brought her inside and she did manage to pass a slightly cracked but mostly fully intact, thin shelled egg. She immediately started acting more like herself, but I'm worried about all the blood and that her vent seems inflamed or swollen.

The first two pictures are from before she passed the egg. The third is the egg and the last is what her vent looks like now.

My regular vet is already closed and the emergency vet is multiple hours away. I'm willing to drive that distance if it is an emergency, but I'm not sure if it is now that she's passed her egg. She has a history of egg laying problems - especially laying yolks and broken shells - but has never had this happen before. Do you think the blood is a sign that something internal has torn or something? Or just maybe that a blood vessel burst when she was straining to lay?

Basically, does this warrant an emergency vet visit? If not, is there anything I can do for her, like an Epsom salt soak?

 

[The Coop Crew]

The blood is most likely from the strain as is the swelling/redness. As long as she isn’t bleeding anymore I don’t think it’s “a right now emergency” necessarily.

 

[ChicNmom]

If you are not already doing it you may want to give her extra calcium to help firm up the shells and help with the muscle contractions to pass eggs.

I had one in the past that laid soft eggs and one now that just needs more than oyster shell. I gave her calcium for about 5 days and now once a week I pop one down her throat to make sure she gets it in her system. Calcium citrate with vitamin D absorbs best.

If your girl is a daily layer you should give her some kind if calcium now. Any will do if you don't have the one I mentioned.

Clean her up and make sure she doesn't have cuts on or just inside her vent. If she does then some plain antibiotic ointment or vaseline might be good in that area.

 

[Serotonin]

The blood is most likely from the strain as is the swelling/redness. As long as she isn’t bleeding anymore I don’t think it’s “a right now emergency” necessarily.

She doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore (though she is dribbling out bits of poop) and the swelling seems to be going down. She's also acting like her normal self again and is eager for treats. I think I'm going to just keep her inside and monitor her for now. Thanks for your help!

 

[Serotonin]

If you are not already doing it you may want to give her extra calcium to help firm up the shells and help with the muscle contractions to pass eggs.

I had one in the past that laid soft eggs and one now that just needs more than oyster shell. I gave her calcium for about 5 days and now once a week I pop one down her throat to make sure she gets it in her system. Calcium citrate with vitamin D absorbs best.

If your girl is a daily layer you should give her some kind if calcium now. Any will do if you don't have the one I mentioned.

Clean her up and make sure she doesn't have cuts on or just inside her vent. If she does then some plain antibiotic ointment or vaseline might be good in that area.

She has access to oyster shell, but she does keep having problems (and the vet couldn't find anything obviously wrong with her), so I'll try giving her some routine calcium supplements. I didn't notice any obvious cuts when I cleaned her up, but maybe I'll just put on some antibiotic ointment to be safe. Thanks for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Could she have been pecked by the others as she was trying to lay an egg? Sometimes they can have a little prolapse as the egg comes out, and others will peck and injure the vent. I would soak her in warm Epsom salts water or soapy water for about 15 minutes and clean her up. Give her human calcium citrate with vitamin d, about $9 at Walmart Spring Valley or other brand, for a few days. Let her back with the others when she is not bleeding or having scabs or raw skin.