Unwell chicken, passed weird glop overnight

[MsBrahma]

Hi members, we have a red sexlink who's having problems. I suspect she's egg-bound, but am not sure. We have not seen this before. Our chickens are about two years old, free-range.

Yesterday morning this hen was in fine fettle, but late in the day I found her semi-crouched in the grass with her wings drooping. She is our most outgoing hen, and normally vocal and curious, so in addition to the posture, her withdrawn behavior was obvious. She was lethargic and did not take any interest when offered pieces of apple.

We couldn't find any evidence of injury, so we set her up in a hospital crate overnight, with water and a "nest box." I was afraid she might be sick and pass it on. Also we wanted to keep a close eye on her.

This morning we found that she had passed what appeared to be a mixture of egg white and poop, but NO shell or yolk... I am wondering if she still has material inside, and whether I should intervene. I don't want to make things worse. Maybe she just needs time to recover? How long is too long?

The good news is that this morning she drank a lot of water once I drew her attention to it. She also ate pellets! But she is still silent and sitting down, rather than up and expressing curiosity about her unfamiliar confinement. In the past two hours, she has also had two runny poops. I am tempted to give her a bath as her behind is very messy, but I don't want to bother her if she just needs to rest.

Any thoughts or similar experiences would be very welcome!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This morning we found that she had passed what appeared to be a mixture of egg white and poop, but NO shell or yolk. I am wondering if she still has material inside,
The good news is that this morning she drank a lot of water
In the past two hours, she has also had two runny poops. I am tempted to give her a bath as her behind is very messy, but I don't want to bother her if she just needs to rest.

Hi @MsBrahma Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry your are having trouble.

If she is pooping, then most likely she is not "egg bound". Since you found no shell, it's possible that she may have a soft shell membrane inside that she is trying to pass.

Provide her with some poultry vitamins if you have them or directly dose her with something like Poultry Nutri-Drench (1cc per 3lb). Give her some extra calcium - you can crush a TUMS and sprinkle it over her favorite treat or give liquid calcium if you have it.

Soaking in a warm epsom salts bath may help to get things moving as well.

Drinking is good! So even if you don't have any vitamins, encourage her to stay hydrated.

Keep us posted.

 

[MsBrahma]

Thank you, Wyorp Rock! If not egg-bound, are you thinking she's sick?

Right now she is sitting with eyes closed. She has pooped four times this morning. Seems like kind of a lot of pooping...

 

[MsBrahma]

Just now she ate some chopped apple! I tried mixing in minced Tums, but she picked around them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you, Wyorp Rock! If not egg-bound, are you thinking she's sick?
Right now she is sitting with eyes closed. She has pooped four times this morning. Seems like kind of a lot of pooping...Just now she ate some chopped apple! I tried mixing in minced Tums, but she picked around them.

Trying to pass a soft shell egg or shell less egg can be very hard and stressful. If she hasn't passed the egg membrane she probably doesn't feel too well. Hopefully she can push it out or it will come out with her next egg.

LOL, they will pick around the TUMS sometimes - I usually grind it to almost powder, then sprinkle on something it will "stick" to like chopped hard boiled egg, then hand feed it.

Keep an eye on her, if she is not lethargic that is good, but if she is hesitant and doesn't want to move around much, you may want to try soaking her.

 

[MsBrahma]

Well, while I was gone today she seems to have improved... I hope. We did give her a bath because we never saw anything that was definitely part of an eggshell or membrane. She seemed unperturbed by the spa treatment! Afterwards she was a bit more awake, so we took her outside, where she pecked around and preened. I took that to be a good sign. We will see how she does overnight and I will update the post. Thanks again for your advice! Fingers crossed... Btw, the avatar photo is this particular chicken on a healthier day. She's our favorite!

 

[MsBrahma]

Today she is back to her old self, picking and hanging with her comrades. So relieved! She has been laying less for a few months, so maybe things are less routine, egg-wise. But what's important to us is she's feeling good again! Thank you your help and support, Wyorp Rock!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she is doing well!
Thanks for the update