Soft eggs then death

[rosemary10]

Hey everyone, So this has been my third year with chickens and this summer has not been going very well for me. I've had five hens die on me and they all show the same symptoms before they pass: Soft shelled eggs and lethargy. First they have the soft shelled eggs and then about a day or less before they pass they just get super lethargic. I don't know what to do and am super stressed about it. They have access to oyster shells, I feed them their egg shells crushed up, I thought maybe it was coccidiosis so I put them on corrid, I also thought it was maybe worms so I dewormed them but no luck with that either. I completely cleaned the coop and even laid cement down, they all free range and I am just desperate for some help here and feel so overwhelmed with all of it cause I hate seeing my chickens suffer. If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I have two that are laying soft shelled eggs, and when I say soft shelled I really mean like no shell. PLEASE HELP ME

 

[Kathy Golla]

That is very odd you would lose so many to what you consider the same symptoms.
How old are the hens and are they the same breed?
Really the only way to tell definitively is the get a necropsy done each time you lose a hen, that way you can troubleshoot effectively.

 

[ChickNanny13]

How old are your girls?
What breed are they?
What are you feeding, aside from OS?
Did you do the Corid and the worming at the same time?

IF another passes having a necropsy done would give you some answers.

 

[rosemary10]

They range in ages but none are older than three years old, they’re on a mixed flock mix as I have ducks and chickens. I did the deworming and corid at different times, I didn’t want to overload their systems. Breeds range too

 

[chickens really]

@Wyorp Rock might know what's happening?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've had five hens die on me and they all show the same symptoms before they pass: Soft shelled eggs and lethargy. First they have the soft shelled eggs and then about a day or less before they pass they just get super lethargic. I don't know what to do and am super stressed about it. They have access to oyster shells, I have two that are laying soft shelled eggs, and when I say soft shelled I really mean like no shell. PLEASE HELP ME

They range in ages but none are older than three years old, they’re on a mixed flock mix as I have ducks and chickens. I did the deworming and corid at different times, I didn’t want to overload their systems. Breeds range too

I'm very sorry for your losses

Do you have any photos of the soft shelled eggs?

To me, it sounds like they are suffering from a reproductive disorder - could be Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer or similar. This is unfortunately common in laying hens.
If you happen to lose another one, performing a necropsy may give you some answers, if you are up to it, perform your own - look in the abdomen, at the reproductive system and major organs. Take photos and we will try to help you with what you see. If that's not possible, then refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab, they will give you a report of their findings. I can look up your lab if you tell me what state you are in.

In the meantime, the ones that are laying soft shelled eggs - see if extra calcium for 3-4 days will help. 1/2 tablet of Caltrate. I would also direct dose them with vitamins like Poultry Cell at 1cc per 3 pounds of weight.
I don't mean to not sound too positive, it's very upsetting and frustrating when hens the same age begin to die off like this. I've had a few that died within a short period of time, they were the same age but different breeds - each one had a reproductive problem when I took a look inside. Not to say this is happening with you, but it would be good to find out.

You may find the video in the first post of this thread helpful as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ions-my-youtube-video-graphic-photos.1201052/

 

[Sea Wolf]

Mixed flock feed is not good for laying birds. They have to be on layer feed. They are not eating the oyster shell. If they are, not enough. They are depleting their systems of calcium trying to lay eggs and probably dying from that. You need to get them on layer pellets. If they eat their egg shells continue to do that but they need a lot more calcium in their systems than that gives. Do as above to try and get some calcium back into these birds. My birds will not eat oyster shell left out in a feeder.

 

[Eggcessive]

Soft or shell-less eggs can be a problem with the shell gland part of the oviduct, and that sometimes may be damaged by a respiratory illness in the past called infectious bronchitis. They may not have been taking enough of the calcium, or had trouble processing it, but if there shell gland was not working, it wouldn’t have mattered how much calcium they were taking. Vitamin D3 and phosphorus are important as well in egg shell production, so a balanced diet of layer feed is good to provide.

Certain high production breeds are prone to reproductive problems, but it doesn’t usually happen to a whole flock this young unless there are other factors.

Mycoplasma or E.coli bacteria can enter the oviduct, and those could also be causes of some reproductive infections. So sorry that you are losing your hens. A necropsy by your state vet would be a good way to get a diagnosis, or you can do a simple one yourself, take pictures of the organs, and post them here for help. Here is a list of state vets and labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[rosemary10]

They are on a layer feed for a mixed flock, I should have been more clear. I am a vet tech and performed a necropsy on them but I hadn't seen anything abnormal. I think it might be egg yolk peritonitis, but everything I've read about it says it's pretty much untreatable. Would penicillin not even work? I really don't want to lose any more birds.

 

[chickens really]

Were you feeding spinach?