Soft shell membrane hanging from vent - Egg Bound

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Oh my, thank you so much for such a quick and thorough reply.

I gave her a second bath (this time with epsom salts), and discovered that she had an impacted crop (I can't believe I didn't check for this in the first place). I've been tending to her crop by force feeding her oils and massaging it twice a day for a few days now but it's still impacted... but it's small? So strange. Did you see anything like this with your girl?

I also gave the poor girl a rectal exam but everything felt really normal in there... as far as I can tell.

I'm HOPING that he weird egg shell thing was just a fluke and that the impacted crop was the cause of all her problems, but I am so grateful to have all your advice right here where I can find it if the egg shell thing persists.

In almost all of my cases of reproductive issues (egg yolk peritonitis, internal laying, and/or build up of soft shell eggs/egg material) crop stasis was one of the key indicators something was wrong. I believe inflammation or build-up in the reproductive system "gums up" their whole system, making it harder for food to pass through their GI at a normal rate. This causes smaller and waterier amounts of poop, and very often, a slow or doughy crop. In general, most crop issues (except some impactions) the result of an underlying problem.

When my EE had a softshell egg break inside her, which caused EYP, half the battle for WEEKS was getting her crop to empty. It sometimes felt impacted--but like yours, the firm mass was quite small (not like a usual impaction)--or often became "doughy" (contents soften with manipulation and feel malleable, like dough). It wasn't until her infection was fully cleared up that her crop started functioning normally.

Here's what I did:

• I gave her small, cold bits of coconut oil (solidified)--in my case, I had to force feed her. I did this 3x a day followed by a 5 min crop massage, in circles, going down (not up).
• The only food I left out was watery mash and sometimes plain greek yogurt, though I had to force-feed her most of the time. Small amounts of canned tuna (in water) also got her eating a bit. So did chopped up leafy greens.
• I used water with acified copper sulfate as her only source of drinking water. Scroll down for exact dosage on the link--precision is important because too much can cause an overdose.
• Once she finished up her ACS regimen she was pretty much done with her antibiotics. I then switched her to colloidal silver, 1 drop 2x daily (500 ppm), as she still seemed sick. Within 48 hours she practically came back to life--crop emptying, eating, pooping, etc. I think it was a combo of all the above that got her there, though I can't speak more highly of my experiences with colloidal silver as a supportive care method.

Again, almost always when I suspect a hen is having a reproductive issue, I feel her crop to find it is distended or not emptying properly. So I think it's critical to figure out/treat the underlying issue for longterm success. Since inflammation is often at the core of the problem, anti-inflammatories like metacam (or turmeric as a natural route) can be helpful. Please keep me posted on how your hen is doing!

Best,
Jenna

 

[exactlyzac]

Wow Jenna, thank you so much. I'm just amazed at how quick and thorough you are.

I'll give all that and some calcium a shot.

I've been keeping my Willow in chicken jail these past few days, but considering letting her out because I have to leave town tomorrow and I won't be back for 11 days (terrible timing I know). She seems happier out of jail (of course) but it could be a cruel kindness (for the rest of the flock)... what do you think?

I have someone to look after them, and I'm doing my best to bribe her to go the exra mile for poor little Willow, but I know it's a lot to ask.

Anyway thanks for the advice and I'll let you know,

Zac

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Wow Jenna, thank you so much. I'm just amazed at how quick and thorough you are.

I'll give all that and some calcium a shot.

I've been keeping my Willow in chicken jail these past few days, but considering letting her out because I have to leave town tomorrow and I won't be back for 11 days (terrible timing I know). She seems happier out of jail (of course) but it could be a cruel kindness (for the rest of the flock)... what do you think?

I have someone to look after them, and I'm doing my best to bribe her to go the exra mile for poor little Willow, but I know it's a lot to ask.

Anyway thanks for the advice and I'll let you know,

Zac

Oh no--terrible time is right! That's the sort of thing I always hope never happens on my end... a chicken getting sick right when I have to travel. Typically I try to get vet med students or people with chicken experience to keep watch (I live near a vet school), which helps give me peace of mind.

In any case, it's hard to say what the best path forward is. I doubt she's contagious to the rest of the flock, but you'll want to be certain they aren't picking on her at all before you go (if she's been away for a bit or seems sickly, she may be a target for bullies). I'd have her out with them for a day to see how she does just in case. You can always tell the person checking in on your flock to keep an eye on her and take her into "chicken jail" if she starts to seem ill, so she can have more TLC and won't have the stress of acting healthy around the flock. It could help to send them pictures of the specific chicken so they know which one to keep an eye on--although I'm sure you already plan to do this. If she's still eating/drinking on her own, but needs to be taken in, then you can also have meds added to her food as a mash (feed + water + meds, such as colloidal silver or turmeric for inflammation). I know the person checking in for you may not be on board for all that--but I'm a crazy lady and always get people willing to do those sorts of things just in case.

If you plan to keep her out, maybe do things like add ACS or Durvet Durastat to the flock's waterer--especially the latter will help treat a number of issues and boost immune health for your whole gang (which is never a bad thing!).

It'll probably be hard to do ACS treatment or coconut oil massages (that sounds sultry but you know what I mean lol)--so let's hope she stays strong and you can do that when you get back, if need be. I will be sending her healing vibes!