question about egg production and injuries

[crittercaretech]

My granddaughter asked me a question the other day and I am at a loss for an answer. A friend lost a hen to what she believes was egg yolk peritonitis. my granddaughter asked what that was and I explained it to her. A few minutes later she asked what happens to the eggs that the hen has inside of her if she is injured suddenly stops laying for a while. Its a great question that I had never thought about nor was I able to find any info on the internet. We have had a few layers get injured over the years from predators or flock mates and many have suddenly stopped laying as a result. What happens to the eggs in the various stages of development as well as the egg ready to be laid? I imagine maybe the yolks of the early stage eggs could be absorbed by the hen, but what about the shelled egg?

 

[sourland]

In my experience the egg 'in process' in the reproductive tract has been laid, and the development of further eggs is halted until the hen recovers from her injuries.