Possible parasite/cyst found in dropping - what is this?

[Judy]

Quote:

Sure sounds like a partly formed egg.

 

[mypicklebird]

It doesn't look like a parasite to me- looks like caseous (dried pus) material from the inside of a tubular structure. The vent/cloaca is the outflow tract from both the reproductive tract and the GI tract. If the hen is not laying well, and since the feces them selves look normal- I would guess that object is from the reproductive tract- and she has an injection in there. Salpingitis is the medical term- but basically it is an infection of the duct work between the ovary and the uterus. Often a cause/associated with poor laying, or internal laying. If you know which chicken this is from for sure- I would remove her from the others & do a good exam- is she eating/drinking/pooping/laying. Is she skinny? Is her abdomen distended? I might consider antibiotics if this is a pet bird, though for laying hens- pretty much all antibiotics are off label for laying hens.

 

[Basters]

I know for sure which chicken it came from as she did it right in front of me, and she's definitely laying as I had the full quota of eggs today. She's also eating and drinking normally as I've been keeping an eye on her, and seems in good health. I think, given that it's been a few days now and she's not losing condition, that I'm going to have to go with the part-formed egg theory and that she's otherwise fine. But I'll keep a watch on her and new poops!

Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and input.