Strange poo. At least I think it was poo...

[critterkeeper25]

I have already checked out the thread on diagnosing poo. I don't seem to see what I saw come out of my hen. She was in the nest box. I was reaching under her to check if I got all of the eggs out from under her for the night (already found 4 under her at that time) she got up and I picked her up and put her gently on the ground. She fluffed her feathers, squatted slightly, and all of a sudden it was like someone had poured liquid out of a cup onto the ground. What came out of her was watery and viscous. It had pale yellow ribbons of color through it. It reminded me of egg drop soup. I would say that maybe it was a shell-less egg but the yolk would have to have been cooked to look opaque like it did. I believe that there was a small amount of stool in this mess. It was hard to tell as she did this on the mulch surrounding our coop, which already had poop on it from everyone digging all around in the mulch looking for snacks. I stood and observed her for a moment. She seemed kind of slow but began to peck at the ground like everyone else. Is this something I should be worried about? Or was it just a shell-less egg?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

It's possible that she could be an internal layer. They will sometimes pass egg yolk looking material. Internal laying and egg yolk peritonitis are some of the various reproductive problems in hens. I don't understand everything about these diseases, but laying thin-shelled eggs that can easily break inside can cause infection that can set off egg yolk peritonitis. Here are some links to read about this illnesses, so you can figure out what is going on:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/526089/egg-yolk-peritonitis
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/195347/my-ivy-latest-relapse-shes-gone

 

[critterkeeper25]

Thank you so much for the information. I am hoping beyond hope that it isn't EYP. What I do know is that one of our 18 hens seems to be consistently laying double yolk eggs. Sunday my family and I arrived home from a weekend family trip and I gathered the eggs in the dark. There was one egg in one nest box that was completely flat and crushed. I assumed that it had been broken and trampled by other hens using the box when it was full of eggs but I guess that it could have been an egg that was laid after it was broken. The articles that you recommended that I read said that it is an illness that isn't cured by medication. Although some have said that treating with certain antibiotics have helped their hens. If this is indeed a genetic disorder that is causing this problem, then treating with antibiotics seems to only be a Bandaid for what will eventually cause her death. Which disturbs me more than I can express. Our chickens are our pets and we want to do whatever we can to make their lives happy and healthy. If this hen does have EYP, and this is a chronic illness/condition, what is her future?
I just can't see myself putting her in the pot but would treating her for the infection only to have this happen over and over again just torturing her?

 

[casportpony]

Can you take her to a vet? A vet could check her droppings for bacteria and prescribe an antibiotic if needed.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

A bacterial infection of the reproductive tract is treatable.

-Kathy

 

[cafarmgirl]

Thank you so much for the information. I am hoping beyond hope that it isn't EYP. What I do know is that one of our 18 hens seems to be consistently laying double yolk eggs. Sunday my family and I arrived home from a weekend family trip and I gathered the eggs in the dark. There was one egg in one nest box that was completely flat and crushed. I assumed that it had been broken and trampled by other hens using the box when it was full of eggs but I guess that it could have been an egg that was laid after it was broken. The articles that you recommended that I read said that it is an illness that isn't cured by medication. Although some have said that treating with certain antibiotics have helped their hens. If this is indeed a genetic disorder that is causing this problem, then treating with antibiotics seems to only be a Bandaid for what will eventually cause her death. Which disturbs me more than I can express. Our chickens are our pets and we want to do whatever we can to make their lives happy and healthy. If this hen does have EYP, and this is a chronic illness/condition, what is her future?
I just can't see myself putting her in the pot but would treating her for the infection only to have this happen over and over again just torturing her?

The answer to that really depends on the hen. I have had EYP hens that died fairly quickly or I had them put down. I have also had birds that seemed to have this to a lesser degree that go on longer. I currently have a 5 1/2 year old hen who started having laying issues. At one point there was occasionally egg in her droppings much like what you've described. She does lay thin shelled, sometimes broken eggs and I've treated her in the past with antibiotic's for an infection due to this. But since she's older she stops laying in late summer so, for now, she's doing fine.

There are also implants you can get for hens to stop their laying. I understand these work well provided the condition has not already progressed to where there is a lot of build up of egg material in the abdomen and if peritonitis hasn't set in. If you have an avian vet who can see your bird then you can get a good idea of what's going on inside her, how best to treat her and what her prognosis is.

 

[KayTee]

Cafarm girl is right - it affects different hens in different ways.

I have a hen - Little Miss Shy - that had EYP - she got very swollen, passed ribbons of 'cooked' egg, and looked very sick. I checked her out but couldn't find anything stuck or broken inside her, so I gave her antibiotics for a week (amoxycilin). She eventually perked up, and is still with us 5 months on. She runs around with the rest of the flock, eats well, and fights for treats, but is swollen in the rear end, walks like a sumo wrestler, and drinks huge amounts of water in order to liquify her droppings enough in order to pass them easily. She has stopped sitting on the nest and not laying, so I assume that her system has stopped producing eggs.

Her sister (Braveheart) started to show signs of EYP two months ago, - she was sitting on the nest but not laying, and this went on for a long while. The all of a sudden she went downhill rapidly, and very sadly I had to euthanise her after 10 days, despite trying everything I could to save her. However Little Miss Shy is still going strong. It seems to affect each hen differently, and we just have to react to each case as the symptoms dictate.

I have lost two hens in a very short space of time to EYP, and it is the most horrible thing to have to go through, but at the end of the day you have to decide if the hen's quality of life is being affected. So far Little Miss Shy shows no signs of being in pain or distress, and joins in with everything the flock does, so I will let her live her life, even though waddles when she walks and she has a rear end wider than mine (and that's saying something!) As soon as I see that she is starting to suffer I won't hesitate to do what is necessary. I let her sister suffer for 10 days, when I should have put her out of her misery sooner, but I was hoping against all the odds that she would come through it, as Little Miss Shy has.

It is normal to feel bad when you have to take the life of any creature, especially one that has been a pet or companion, but in some cases it is the only thing that you can do to help them.

It is true that you can get implants to help a chicken that is not too far gone with EYP, but it depends upon having a specialist vet nearby, and also having the money to pay for the procedure. We do not all have the facilities nor the means to do exactly what we would like in life - if we can then it is wonderful for both ourselves and our pets, but if we can't then we just have to make the best of the situation that we are presented with.

I hope that your girl can continue to carry on for a bit longer - if you can take her to a specialist vet then you can get some professional advice to give you a clearer idea of her prognosis. But in any case, I wish you the best for both her and yourself. Only the person who is present and who knows the chicken can really know what is best for their flock at any given moment. Whatever your decision, whenever you take it, you know that it will be the right decision for you and your girl, and that you will have the support of all the BYC members.

 

[critterkeeper25]

Thank you all so much for your responses to my post. Last night, this hen was the first to go roost in the coop, at 6:00pm. A good hour before all of the rest of the girls. This morning when I let them out for the day, she came out with the rest of the hens but didn't race over to the scratch grains that I threw out for them to pick at. She just wandered about a bit then went over to the wood garden border and sat with her head drawn back. She has been very still for much of this afternoon. I managed to corral her and feel her abdomen. It really doesn't feel much different than everyone else's. It may be sagging a little bit. It concerns me that she doesn't seem to be eating.

I contacted my vet this morning. He was in surgery and I haven't heard back from him yet. I am planning on treating her with antibiotics. I wonder though, if her eggs can't be eaten then she will have to be isolated. I don't have any idea where we are going to put her. We can't keep her in the coop with the others. We have 17 other hens and I can't tell who laid what eggs.

I do realize that a reproductive tract infection can be treated. My concern is that if this is a chronic condition, will she have to endure having to go through the same situation over and over and over again throughout her entire life? Our chickens are only 24 weeks old. I hope that they have a long life ahead of them which, for my poor sick girl, means being sick a lot if this condition is chronic.

Thank you again for your helpful advice and kind words. Lets all hope for the best for my poor little girl!

 

[casportpony]

If she has laid internally I think that one could consider that a chronic condition, but if the infection is just in her repro tract, I think that could be treated and she could go back to living a happy life. Problem is finding out what exactly she has.

Many can lay internally and live for many months, maybe even years, but infection will eventually kill them.

Talk to your vet...

-Kathy

 

[critterkeeper25]

Ok, still haven't heard from my vet but I did find out that my local Tractor Supply carries Duramyacin but it's Duramyacin 100 not Duuramyacin 10. Can that still be used only in smaller quantities/dosage?