Tell me about your internal layers

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Trying to get some advice here!

One of my 10 month olds has been laying for maybe 4 months. She is an Olive Egger (EExBCM) No hatchery blood(that I know of..). Has layed normal up until now. I found her crouching in the nest 2 days ago and the rooster was with her. VERY unusual, he's usually about 5 feet away on the roost, never in the box. Today i realized I havent seen any eggs from her even though she's been in the nesting box daily. I Picked her up and she has a little plum-sized pootch under her vent. Like on her belly I guess you could say. Feels like a shell-less egg.

I have no problems taking her in and having an OVH done (is it the same term in chickens?) It would sadden me though because she lays the absolute prettiest egg! I tech at an emergency vet and I'm sure someone can do the surgery for me (even if it is a learning expirience for all). Problem is I'm supposed to go camping today(friday) through monday (which is my birthday

).

I was thinking about draining it (But i'm afraid to POP it.. Can I pop it? If the membrane is still on will it let loose fluid into her abdominal cavity??) or am I crazy and its probably free fluid already?, Start her on some Pen-G injectable, and see how she does and take her in for Sx monday/tuesday?? OR I can wait to go camping until tomorrow, bring her in in the morning and have the Sx done tomorrow.

I can also try forcing a molt, with pen-g, and drain it. But that seems like its only a temporary fix.

I LOVE my girls.. They are pets to me (I dont even eat the eggs) so I will do whatever I can to get her through.

Anyone think its crucial enough I bring her in for Sx in the am??(I could possibly do it tonight but I dont trust the Dr. enough, I'd probably be tho one doing the actual procedure if I asked for her help!) Or since it just started do you think I can buy myself a couple days by draining it and giving ABx?

Any help is MUCH appreciated!

 

[speckledhen]

No idea. The location you describe doesn't make sense for an egg to be. Most can't be palpated from there so you need a vet's assistance.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Thanks. It kinda reminds me of a cows udders- maybe towards back behind the legs and not right in between though.

I'm thinking about aspirating it since I have syringes and needles here. Her bum is still feathered and looks pretty normal.. not swollen, just the sac of ..?? The only reason I picked her up is because she's been in and out of the nest box for a couple days with no eggs, and doesn't seem to be egg bound either.

 

[horseemom]

I believe I have had a couple internal layers. My silkies are local bred and have been very healthy (aside from one found dead 3 days ago for no apparent reason?!), however my Polish have been weak. I got 4. Two were/are great, buff laced lays well and is active, WCB hen won trophies and was wonderful (until her sudden death at 3 years old), one buff-laced was weak, smaller, became somewhat deformed after reaching about 6 months old, and never laid an egg as far as I can tell. She died this time last year at 2.5 years old.

I currently have another WCB that keeps getting lethargic and not grooming, thin. She builds up poop on her bum since she doesn't move much. Last time I thought she wouldn't make it through the night (Dec) so I put her in a rabbit cage in a warm room with food and water. She pulled through, passed 2 shell-less eggs then perked up. It wasn't long until she went down again. I de-loused (these birds ALWAYS seem to have lice!!) and noticed she had many louse "nests" around her vent as well as fecal matter, all built to the size of a large egg!!! Could have been blocking the egg, though she could poop. I cleaned it all off today, trimming feathers too, and put her back in the warm room. I can feel a mass (hot to touch) just up from her vent on the right side of her abdomen. I am hoping she will pass what I think is an egg (Feels firm from the outside) and recover again. She has never been a good layer, and is now 3.5 years old, hatchery bird as mentioned. Buying local next round!

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

I've got a rir that I believe is laying internally. She has no energy, can't fly to the roost, and I can feel a couple egg shaped objects in her abdomen. Can someone describe the differences between a hatchery bird and a breeder bird? For those who put your birds down, what is the most humane method?

 

[Cantonmentchickenmama]

Please tell me about your experience with internal layers, even hens that have died and you suspect they were internal layers.

Please try to include the following:
Breed

Age or suspected age


If they were hatchery or breeder birds if known

I need to collect as much info as possible, so please feel free to participate, and thank you in advance.

I recently had two hens that we had to cull due to interal laying. The first was what I thought to be a red lace wyndotte. Approx 2 to 2 and half yrs old and she was a from a breeder. She stopped laying approximately 6 months prior to dying. She was attacked by our boxer. There weren't any physical injuries that we could see, but I suspect that the attack is was the cause of the interal laying. This hen died, we did not cull her.

The most recent hen was a buff orphington, approx 1 to 1.5 and suspected hatchery born. We bought this hen from a guy and only had her for about 4 months before culling her. She did not lay regular. In talking to guy, he obtained a lot of his chickens from Cedar Creek hatchery. He stated that he had several hens that he had culled in the past for interal laying, egg bound, or egg defects. He no longer owns chickens.


I have pictures of both of the hens while they were living if you would like to see them...Thanks Dawn

 

[bigcats]

I think my Nina who died today may have been an internal layer.

Breed: Red Sex Link; fabulous layer, began laying in May 2009 and laid a perfect egg every day for the first week. She never really slowed down until this winter, and I thought she was just getting older and being rather "normal" for once (not laying as much in the winter, she barely slowed down at all the other winters). I wasn't exactly sure when she was laying as I've since gotten other hens and lost track of whose egg was whose, but production was definitely low in the last few months.

Age: 3.5; born December 2008

Don't know for sure if she was a hatchery bird. I got her from someone was raising a lot of them and selling as ready-to-lay pullets, but not sure if he bred them or got them as hatchery chicks. I got one other from him, but she died young from a predator so I don't know if she would have developed similar issues.

The description of her decline matches what I've read here. I didn't open her. On two occasions in the past year I found strange rubbery things in the nest box. I also found an occasional rubber-shell egg, or shell-less egg.

 

[Dancingfire]

I hope someone can help me.I got Buff Orphingtons a couple months back just under a year old.They all have been healthy as far as I can tell.I have six hens and have only been getting 3 eggs per day.I have been wondering why.About a week ago I noticed what looked like some runny feces on one of the hens.Today she is a little fluffed up on her back end and looks like she is trying to get something out.She is milling around the encloser and eating ,drinking and roosting and seems fine otherwise. What do you think is happening and why arent all of my young hens laying.They get scratch,laying mash,grit,some oyster shell as I had one soft egg once,Kitchen scraps,grass,etc.

 

[Cantonmentchickenmama]

Today my only RIR was found in her nesting box dead. I am very sad to say the least. She did have some white goo inside her vent area. I am too heart broken to open her up to find out what is going on inside of her. I suspect though, internal laying. This makes my third hen I have lost this year to internal laying. I am not sure if she was a hatchery bird or not. But, I suspect she maybe because she was in the group of birds that I inherited. From what I have learned most of the those birds did come from Cedar Creek Hatchery.

 

[HathawayHens]

I have a two year old hatchery barred rock from MPC... she has a red swollen area under her vent with pinfeathers and is not laying. She is finishing a molt. I am not certain it is internal laying, but it feels like a water balloon down there. My hubby's favorite girl, will be sad if we lose her.