Soft egg shell. Yellowish watery poo.

[Thechickenaddict]

One of my girls has been having soft egg shells for a while now. She is 3 months into laying, and has had some soft egg shells for a while now. Today, she had one again. She started acting off a little before evening yesterday. Before bed, she pooped out a egg yolk. When I checked on her today in the morning, the shell was stuck in her vent. I gently pulled it and she was able to expel the soft shell. Here is a pic of the soft shell. She laid eggs in good condition for the past week and she suddenly had a soft shell egg yesterday.

there were a few other days where something similar happened. Like last month, she pooped out a yolk and the soft shell in the middle of the day.

I have noticed that on hotter days, she sometimes had a soft shell egg but the most recent one happened suddenly at the end of the day so I don’t think it’s a weather problem, maybe a calcium deficiency? There’s a bag of oyster shell coming since I ran out a little while ago, I have been giving crushed egg shells as a substitute but I don’t know if that was enough.

The hen has a little less energy than usual but since she just had a soft egg shell, that’s not unexpected. Her poop is a bit yellowish and she’s now resting in the coop. Last time this happened, she turned out fine the next day, but I was wondering if I could do anything for her right now. She just ate some crumble and foraged around a bit before heading into the coop. She should be resting now. Should I let her rest or should I give her anything?

 

[Thechickenaddict]

Anything I should give her? She’s taking a nap now.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you can get some calcium tablets or Tums, give her one orally daily for the next 3 days. Are you feeding layer feed for them? Do you give a lot of treats? An antibiotic such as Fish Mox amoxicillin might be helpful. That is available online, and sometimes in TSC or feed stores. Sometimes these egg issues may be caused by a reproductive disorder, tumor, or past exposure to a respiratory disease such as infectious bronchitis.

 

[Thechickenaddict]

She is eating Manna pro 16% all flock feed. She occasionally gets treats but not too much. Can I ask what is the antibiotic for?

 

[Thechickenaddict]

Her poo has gotten a little better, the cap is yellow instead of white though.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be some yellow mucus or fluid from bile, but sometimes the urates can be yellow from a reproductive or liver disorder. The Fish Mox could treat a reproductive infection, since she is having broken shell-less eggs.

 

[Thechickenaddict]

Looking back at the poo, the urate part doesn’t seem too yellowish. Here is a pic of another dropping. Later in the day, she got more energetic and back to her normal self. No more yellow watery poop today.