Shell-less egg bound quail

[Crofters Quail]

I have a beautiful little japanese quail hen who I suspect is egg bound. A complicating factor is that recently she has laid a few shell-less eggs . The last egg she laid was a slightly larger than normal shell-less egg laid about 40 hours ago. I am hesitant to do an internal on the vent in case I rupture a potentially she'll-less egg.

Feeling externally, the area seems a bit swollen as if a soft egg could be inside. There was also a very small amount of white crust an he vent which I have never seen before.???

Should I try a warm bath? Or would this increase the likelihood of rupturing the egg?

I would really appreciate any advice as I am quite inexperienced and want to do the best thing by my little girl!

Many thanks,

Kirsty

 

[Crofters Quail]

Just an update, my little quail has now passed the collapsed membrane of an egg and some messy egg contents and her bowels have started operating again.

I'd still appreciate some advice though as she is laying eggs with the membrane only , no shell, fairly consistently. How about the small white crust around the vent? I still feel that something is up!

Another factor is that she is in a set up with a very keen rooster (not aggressive just breeds all the time) and her feathers are wearing a bit on her back where I think she is getting overbred? Could the whole problem be the result of overbreeding stress?

She is in a set up on the ground with loads of space and plants and has constant access to oyster shell, high protein diet and water with acv. I have 9 other hens in various similar set ups with no problem. (The roosters in the other set ups are less intent on constant breeding though.)

Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.

 

[313759]

Well it could just be her organs, they could've messed up and caused shelless eggs. If this continues I would consider sulking her if you wanted to use her for breeding stock

 

[Crofters Quail]

Many thanks for your reply Ducky13,

I should have said, I am keeping the quail to provide fresh clean eggs for my 3 small children and also as pets for the children. I would be loath to cull her unless it was for humane reasons.

So I am more interested in making sure my quail is happy and healthy and not so worried about whether her egg is good for breeding or eating purposes.

She does not seem very sick just a little off colour and I am convinced that the problem could be managed to keep her healthy. My best idea so far is to remove her from her from her very eager rooster and let her rest for a while. I'll boost her diet with yoghurt and lots of healthy treats. Any advice on how to improve the situation would be much appreciated.

 

[kingmt]

It sounds like your roster to hen ratio is 1:1 when it should be 1:4-8. If your not incubating then you don't even need males with your hens. Put all the guys together & all the girls together. This will make your life much easier.