Successfully helped my egg bound hen but...

[LizzyRoo30]

Had to contend with an egg bound hen night before last (Sunday). Poor gal. It wasn't pretty.

Question: She went two days without laying an egg before I noticed the signs of her being egg bound, she's a hybrid, a Red Star. I typically get an egg from her every day. Seriously. Every. Day. Her sister is still laying as such. My question is, should she immediately go back to laying per usual? Or would her laying cycle change?

Meaning, should she immediately start laying again on a daily basis? The very next day after being bound? I know that hens don't typically lay on a daily basis (my Plymouths don't), but up until now, my two Red Stars have. I'm now going on the second day of her not laying an egg again. Am I making sense???

I've Googled this, and referred to my various chicken husbandry books, but have yet to get any answers.

I do feel it's important to note that when I let them out to range yesterday morning, and checked the coop, there was a paper thin, grayish egg cracked on the cage floor. It was under their roost, so maybe she passed a weird egg as a result of being bound for two days??? (Picture of said egg posted).

Their diet consists of laying pellets, and kitchen scraps. They free range in the backyard, but also have access to oyster shell in their run. I could have been too liberal in the amount of scratch I give them, about a handful a day for a flock of 5, to bait them into going back in their run. I've now stopped that.

Currently she's acting fine, eating, drinking, scratching around, just not laying.

Thanks so much for any help or advice given!

 

[coach723]

Pretty much you can do what you are doing and watch her. Any stress, internal or external, can cause a stop or decrease in laying. Likewise a weird egg anomaly. If she usually lays every day then the second egg was probably already in the system when she got bound. If all is well she will eventually lay again. The hybrid hens that lay so heavily are more prone to reproductive issues, so just keep an eye on her.

 

[LizzyRoo30]

Pretty much you can do what you are doing and watch her. Any stress, internal or external, can cause a stop or decrease in laying. Likewise a weird egg anomaly. If she usually lays every day then the second egg was probably already in the system when she got bound. If all is well she will eventually lay again. The hybrid hens that lay so heavily are more prone to reproductive issues, so just keep an eye on her.

Thank you so much! I've been wanting someone to tell me this and I couldn't find it anywhere! Thus far she has been perfectly fine!