shelless egg with yellow liquid

[zenstarling]

I have a 26 week old flock. one of my barred rocks has been laying consistently for about 3 weeks, but none from her in the last 3 days. every single egg from the four ladies that are laying has been perfectly formed with nice hard shells. they're on a layer feed.

as I was watching them just now, this barred rock looked a bit “dazed” for a few seconds, dropped a frothy poop, and as she stood still yellow liquid dripped out of her vent. she went right up into the coop into the nest box and laid this. it was on top of yellow liquid in the shavings. I know new layers have some kinks to work out. aside from cleaning up her feathers, is there anything else I need to do? she looks "ok" but still a little less active than usual which seems concerning. I did notice there was older dried poop on the feathers down there. thank you!

 

[Tookie]

I would get some calcium citrate +D3 and give her one tablet once a day until her eggs are back to normal. She may have more eggs coming and the calcium will help her pass them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What are you feeding, including treats?

I agree that giving her extra calcium is a good idea.

The yellow liquid dripping from the vent to me is a concern. She may have a membrane she needs to expel, which the calcium should help. The yellow liquid may have been egg yolk and albumen. If she's not perked up by morning, then I'd consider starting an antibiotic like Amoxicillin to help with infection of the oviduct. Yolk leaking out of a membrane into the oviduct is a breeding ground for bacteria.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Do you have oyster shell and/or crushed egg shells available for them to use as they need? I understand you're feeding layer feed, but having that extra source of calcium out for them if they need it would be a good idea, in my opinion.

 

[zenstarling]

Thanks all! I don’t have oyster shell on hand but I have been saving all their eggshells to give back. do I need to bake them first, before crushing and putting out?

I just unlocked them for the morning and she is back to normal full energy, eating, scratching etc.

They are on New Country Organics layer. They get out several hours a day to forage in different sections of the yard. I’ll also give them the scrap ends of vegetables from the kitchen and garden. Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks all! I don’t have oyster shell on hand but I have been saving all their eggshells to give back. do I need to bake them first, before crushing and putting out?

I just unlocked them for the morning and she is back to normal full energy, eating, scratching etc.

They are on New Country Organics layer. They get out several hours a day to forage in different sections of the yard. I’ll also give them the scrap ends of vegetables from the kitchen and garden. Thanks!

Glad to hear she's doing better.
I'd still get some Calcium into her for a few days.
I would also provide oyster shell free choice, even you give egg shells back.

As for giving back egg shells - everyone does things differently. Some folks, just toss them back to the hens when they use them, some bake, some don't...there's really no "right way" I suppose.
Me, I do like to "bake" them, I just rinse and save them on an old dedicated cookie sheet then pop them in the oven after I have been baking something. I leave them in the oven until all has cooled down (usually overnight), then take them out, crush them and put them in a small storage container. Since my flocks think shells are a cool treat, I like to accumulate enough baked shells so that I have enough for everyone.

 

[zenstarling]

Glad to hear she's doing better.
I'd still get some Calcium into her for a few days.
I would also provide oyster shell free choice, even you give egg shells back.

As for giving back egg shells - everyone does things differently. Some folks, just toss them back to the hens when they use them, some bake, some don't...there's really no "right way" I suppose.
Me, I do like to "bake" them, I just rinse and save them on an old dedicated cookie sheet then pop them in the oven after I have been baking something. I leave them in the oven until all has cooled down (usually overnight), then take them out, crush them and put them in a small storage container. Since my flocks think shells are a cool treat, I like to accumulate enough baked shells so that I have enough for everyone.

thanks a lot! this is really helpful. is this something for humans I would just buy at cvs? what do I look for... and how do I get her to eat it?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, you can get Calcium Citrate with D3 at Walmart, CVS, etc.
It's just a Calcium supplement like Caltrate (get generic store brand, it's cheaper).

To give her the tablet, get a hold of her, pull down on her wattles, pop the tablet in her beak, immediately let go of the wattles and let her swallow. The tablet will look fairly large, but she's plenty old enough to swallow it.

 

[zenstarling]

awesome! what a technique that's great. is there a certain mg dose it should be per capsule or it doesn't matter? thanks

 

[Tookie]

Thanks all! I don’t have oyster shell on hand but I have been saving all their eggshells to give back. do I need to bake them first, before crushing and putting out?

I just unlocked them for the morning and she is back to normal full energy, eating, scratching etc.

They are on New Country Organics layer. They get out several hours a day to forage in different sections of the yard. I’ll also give them the scrap ends of vegetables from the kitchen and garden. Thanks!

Glad she's doing better!

awesome! what a technique that's great. is there a certain mg dose it should be per capsule or it doesn't matter? thanks

I would be best to get at least 500mg of calcium.