Should I be worried by shell less egg with blood? Update: Found the chicken who likely did this.

[smudge]

Found this this morning below where my girls roost... (See photo in next post.) I am concerned that I couldn't find any evidence of a shell here. Could there still be some stuff inside? How can I tell which girl did this? They're all acting the same, there's no blood on anyone's fluffy butts. (They're 13 month old Buff Orpingtons.) Is there something I should be doing, or is this a one time glitch that will fix itself?

I've had a girl laying occasion eggs in her sleep and in strange places (like she's had an eggcident) during the past month, and when they first started laying I'd see the occasional rubber egg.

I will say they were more quiet than usual this morning - usually when they hear me near the door they get a little vocal that I should be quicker. Today.... Quiet. But no one was betraying whodunit, and they ran out to get in trouble as usual.

 

[smudge]

 

[smudge]

Anyone? Please? At least tell me if it's normal. Or not.

 

[smudge]

Found more night eggs over subsequent week. In all cases the (rubber) shell was just a chunk in the mess.

Yesterday found egg white under roost, rest of egg (yolk, more white, wad of what should have been rubber shell in a mess on shelf).

This morning I saw egg white, and was looking at right butt at the right time and saw scrambled egg squirt out. I have since attempted to give her a sitz bath, and pulled out remnants of egg membrane/rubber shell, I think - it was hanging from vent. Going back to see about loosening up some stuff some more - fresh sitz bath. Gather I'm supposed to oil her up with olive oil as well?

What are the chances that she will get better? I can't see how she cannot have extra stuff up her butt, and that can't be good, right?

 

[ginger7]

Look this is my moms hen and mine too. Please please please tell us if this is normal

 

[smudge]

Update: Thought we were finally out of the woods with this one - she laid 3 decent eggs, 3 days in a row. After the 3rd one she jumped from the nesting box, ran to the flock, and chest butted the one who had been trying to usurp her place in the pecking order.

Then Tuesday she left an egg yolk in the nesting box...

She perked up after her sitz bath and EVO butt massage. And she passed a rubber shell last night.

Are we just doomed to have this periodically happen? I will say, that when she *does* lay a "normal" egg that it's long and thin - could this be a factor in her problem?

 

[ddelancy]

Hello. I know your posts are from last summer, and no one ever really answered, but I have a hen in the same condition. She is 2 years old. Whatever happened to your hen? Did you ever find anything to help her? Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[smudge]

Well, the hen is still alive... and still has egg laying problems.

There's definitely something affecting her ability to form a shell for her eggs... And probably some obstruction in there.

She does seem to be helped by epson salt baths plus extra virgin olive oil rubbed on the vent area.

Most recently, she laid a tube of yolkless rubber egg, then a couple of days later was spitting up water (technically not vomiting, because chickens can't vomit) while on the roost, comb was tinged purple. Put her in a basin with epson salts and warm water, tried drying her off, etc. but she was in a rush to get back to the roost. Wet hen looked irritated, but rubber fart egg came out and her coloring was back to normal.

Everything I've read indicates that this is something to worry about, and that if there's any egg left inside there that infection can follow. For this reason, antibiotics are usually recommended in this situation. Or surgery, One person had their hen medicated so that it could no longer ovulate - no ovulation means no eggs, so no problem if the hen is a problem layer. And some people just cull, because once a hen has these problems, she will continue to have problems.

 

[Coralietg]

Well, the hen is still alive... and still has egg laying problems.

There's definitely something affecting her ability to form a shell for her eggs... And probably some obstruction in there.

She does seem to be helped by epson salt baths plus extra virgin olive oil rubbed on the vent area.

Most recently, she laid a tube of yolkless rubber egg, then a couple of days later was spitting up water (technically not vomiting, because chickens can't vomit) while on the roost, comb was tinged purple. Put her in a basin with epson salts and warm water, tried drying her off, etc. but she was in a rush to get back to the roost. Wet hen looked irritated, but rubber fart egg came out and her coloring was back to normal.

Everything I've read indicates that this is something to worry about, and that if there's any egg left inside there that infection can follow. For this reason, antibiotics are usually recommended in this situation. Or surgery, One person had their hen medicated so that it could no longer ovulate - no ovulation means no eggs, so no problem if the hen is a problem layer. And some people just cull, because once a hen has these problems, she will continue to have problems.

Usually it's recommended to cull. It's only a matter of time before she gets egg yolk peritonitis or something similar. It just sucks, sometimes their plumbing just doesn't line up right.

 

[ddelancy]

I don't feel like I could cull her. She's a pet, so the eggs aren't really the issue. What is the medication that can prevent her from ovulating?

Glad yours is still hanging in there!