Squishy crop, strange poop

[Ccort]

This current theory of mine, and it's just an educated guess, fits with the x-ray of the yolk in the upper oviduct. When an oviduct is malformed, and science literature points to this problem occurring more frequently in poultry than in the past, the egg can't travel normally down the oviduct. Instead it backtracks and spills out of the top of the oviduct where it began. Picture the top of the oviduct as a funnel and when an egg is released by the ovary it is then "grabbed" by the top of the oviduct.

So when an egg finds it can't go down the oviduct, it gets bounced backward instead. I've had a couple of hens with this issue in the past years. When I open them up after death, their bellies are full of "hardboiled" eggs, cooked over months by their own body heat. As eggs accumulate in the belly, bacteria also grows, resulting in a chronic infection that eventually kills the hen.

Ok. I assumed an egg with a full shell would appear differently on an x-ray versus a yolk. So wouldn't an additional xray show if your theory was the case here?

 

[azygous]

Yes, an x-ray would show if the egg has left the oviduct. Notice on the diagram the shell gland at the very bottom of the oviduct. The egg ends up there last and that is where the shell gets built. Your hen's stuck egg never got down that far. Eggs that do make it that far don't bounce back out of the oviduct. They either get laid normally or they get stuck in the shell gland and that results in a big crisis, as well, especially if there isn't enough calcium in the shell gland and the egg is shell-less.

If you want to spend the money on an x-ray, by all means do. But your hen's behavior tells us she very likely no longer has a stuck egg. Chicken behavior, if you learn to "read" it, can tell you with a high degree of accuracy what is happening.

For example, a chicken with an ear ache will scratch at her ear. A chicken with a sore foot will shake it and peck at it. A chicken that has a stuck egg that is causing pain will hold her tail down and stand in one spot and not want to move. A chicken that feels fine will talk to her mates and run around happily and eat and drink and poop.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Personally I think- and I agree with azygous on the diagnoses- that taking her back to the vet to see where she is at now, and if anything can be done, is the best option. But that could be costly. So it's your choice. The other option seems to be leave her be to enjoy her life until the time comes. Personally I would continue down the vet route, IF you trust your vet. But it is up to you.

I just want to give my support and best wishes for you and your hen. I hope this finds a way to work out.

 

[Iluveggers]

OP did mention seeing yellow in the poo. Could the egg have cracked and come out that way? I think @azygous ’s theory is probably correct but that one detail caught my attention.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I also wondered the same, @Iluveggers

if perhaps the egg was shell-less, soft shelled or broken, perhaps the hen ate it after it was laid. Unless watched 24/7, or without another trip to the vets, I dont think any of us can say either way for certain.

 

[Ccort]

Yes, an x-ray would show if the egg has left the oviduct. Notice on the diagram the shell gland at the very bottom of the oviduct. The egg ends up there last and that is where the shell gets built. Your hen's stuck egg never got down that far. Eggs that do make it that far don't bounce back out of the oviduct. They either get laid normally or they get stuck in the shell gland and that results in a big crisis, as well, especially if there isn't enough calcium in the shell gland and the egg is shell-less.

If you want to spend the money on an x-ray, by all means do. But your hen's behavior tells us she very likely no longer has a stuck egg. Chicken behavior, if you learn to "read" it, can tell you with a high degree of accuracy what is happening.

For example, a chicken with an ear ache will scratch at her ear. A chicken with a sore foot will shake it and peck at it. A chicken that has a stuck egg that is causing pain will hold her tail down and stand in one spot and not want to move. A chicken that feels fine will talk to her mates and run around happily and eat and drink and poop.

Again, thank you, especially for the clarity. That makes more sense. One more thing..what about her decreased appetite? Shouldn't that be back to normal?
When I spoke to the vet yesterday, she recommended giving her two to three more days to lay the egg. Thoughts?

 

[azygous]

Again, we can't know for certain what is happening, only that she appears to be over this crisis for whatever reason. Her behavior tells us this. She could live more or less a normal life for several more months or she could die when this happens again. And it most likely will.

Her perky state can change at any time. It's probably not that strange her appetite is off. We really can't say she's in the clear. If she is internally laying, the term for the egg spilling back into the abdominal cavity, it can affect her behavior, and not having a normal appetite would be the first symptom she still has issues.

By the way, one of the hens of mine with internal laying was just eleven months old when she suddenly keeled over and died from it. But I've had older hens die from this, too. It's probably one of the weirdest reproductive disorders you'll encounter.

 

[Eggcessive]

While I am not big on giving treats other than chicken feed and a bit of occasional egg, some chickens have to be tempted to eat if they have been sick. Egg may not be accepted at first if they have never had it. Canned cat food pate, tuna/salmon, or ground meat are usually irresistible to them. I also may sprinkle feed crumbles in front while they are eating to stimulate them. Grapes and watermelon are also well accepted, but limit these treats once she is eating well.

 

[Ccort]

Personally I think- and I agree with azygous on the diagnoses- that taking her back to the vet to see where she is at now, and if anything can be done, is the best option. But that could be costly. So it's your choice. The other option seems to be leave her be to enjoy her life until the time comes. Personally I would continue down the vet route, IF you trust your vet. But it is up to you.

I just want to give my support and best wishes for you and your hen. I hope this finds a way to work out.

Thank you. I love this girl. It's breaking my heart. Of course, vet won't be back until Monday. (Leave at 6 today)

 

[Ccort]

OP did mention seeing yellow in the poo. Could the egg have cracked and come out that way? I think @azygous ’s theory is probably correct but that one detail caught my attention.

I actually asked about that in the vet office but she said that type of poo is normal for an oviduct egg.