strange layer hen

[bochelle6563]

okay, here is a good one for all you chicken aficionados. I have a year old bantam leghorn. She has been a delightful little chicken. Unfortunately she has started a strange and unhealthy laying issue. She won't lay an egg for weeks. As time passes her backside gets totally covered in poo because it is like she is constipated and having a hard time pooping. She will sit in the nest box and try to lay, but just doesn't and gives up after a while. After about 2 weeks she starts becoming sluggish and just can't keep up and starts acting like she just feels yucky. This is the point when her fluffy bottom is just a mess and she just looks miserable. I then take her in totally afraid that she is egg bound and I soak her, wash her bottom, and put a little Vaseline on her vent. After she dries I put her back in the coop.

The very next day she lays an egg, but sometimes they are just in the yard, or in the litter under the roost. She may lay for a couple of more days and then the cycle continues. I usually give in around the third week and give her the spa treatment.
Am I being overly worried about her being egg bound or is this just some sort of defect and I just need to realize this is going to be a long term issue that requires my vigilance. Any thoughts on this matter would be helpful.

one more thing. When I do get an egg they have lots of calcium deposits on them and are a bit misshapen.

 

[smedly9921]

I have lost 4 leg horns this year to Pro laps or egg bound, From what i read they are prone to this cause of them being genetically made to lay lots of eggs then they get turned into chicken soup. I have not found any good solutions so sorry that i cannot be any more help to you. I have gotten away from the leg horns cause of these frequent issues.

 

[bochelle6563]

ahh, good to know! That is VERY helpful. I won't be making soup out of her yet, but I will definitely try to stay on top of this issue. Thank you Thank you! She doesn't mind the spa treatment and I don't mind pampering her, so we will see how long she can last with this defect. How old were your leghorns?