Very weird poop..

[Maryandgailthedog]

R u sure it is poop not vomit??

 

[theoldchick]

I looked at the poop chart.. it looks like coccidiosis with out the blood?! Should I start meds?

Have a fecal float test performed to see exactly what you have.

 

[sdaikus]

Lol it does look like that! They haven’t eaten anything out of the ordinary and I’m pretty sure it’s poop bc it came right after I let her out this am. I think I would have herd her puke? (I hope anyways)

I called a couple vets and they can’t do anything until Monday. Thanks for the responses everyone.. it’s much appreciated

 

[sdaikus]

Ok .. so her poops have been fine (that I can see) she is acting perfect, eating and drinking. She layed an egg this am (I know bc she’s the only white egg) and then about 30 min ago.. she squatted down like she was going to poop and put came this shellless egg...and it looks like there is another egg forming on top??

@azygous

I should mention she did this a couple days ago and a few times a while back..

 

[azygous]

I have a hen right now that is doing this routine. She lays a normal egg every other day like clockwork, and it's followed an hour or two later by a shelless egg.

As long as your hen is expelling the eggs, she should be okay. She needs to be watched carefully, though, for the first signs of blockage. I had another hen that got blocked by this double egg routine, and I treated her immediately. She passed the blockage, and the antibiotic may have headed off infection. She's fine now, but she's yet to resume laying. I have doubts she will.

 

[sdaikus]

I have a hen right now that is doing this routine. She lays a normal egg every other day like clockwork, and it's followed an hour or two later by a shelless egg.

As long as your hen is expelling the eggs, she should be okay. She needs to be watched carefully, though, for the first signs of blockage. I had another hen that got blocked by this double egg routine, and I treated her immediately. She passed the blockage, and the antibiotic may have headed off infection. She's fine now, but she's yet to resume laying. I have doubts she will.

What is treatment and/or signs I should be looking for? So I can be prepare.

I don’t care if she lays any eggs lol I just want her to be ok. Thank you again!

 

[andreanar]

You could try asking @casportpony her opinion on that poop. She's good with poop!

 

[SonoranChick]

You could try asking @casportpony her opinion on that poop. She's good with poop!

She is who I always bother with poop or worm questions. She's the poop guru.

 

[SonoranChick]

Is it "normal" for a 2 year old white leghorn to be laying shell less eggs? Mine has done it before, but she is a new layer. I'm wondering what to expect. I know that breed in particular is a lean mean laying machine. (Not really mean, mine is a love bug!)

 

[azygous]

Anything from genetics and age to incipient disease can cause these egg issues. In other words, most of the time we can't know the cause. They just do it.

What you want to be watchful for is lethargic behavior, standing around not interested in joining the party, tail may be low and flat when standing. If she's got an obstruction, she may be spending a long period on the nest without producing anything. Or she may be standing up in the nest and straining to get the egg out.

You may notice yellow, yolk-ish poop, runny with mucous. Her vent may be showing signs of prolapse, and there may be swelling under the vent. These are all signs of a hen in crisis. I will immediately start her on penicillin or amoxicillin to try to head off infection, and a calcium tablet to help with the contractions. It also helps the shell gland with an extra shot of calcium to try to get a shell build around a shelless egg which is so much harder for a hen to pass.

If a hen is straining, she needs moist heat to relax her. A heating pad under a moist towel may be less stressful than a soak in a tub of warm water. This can help relax her so she may more easily pass the stubborn egg. If the egg happens to break inside her, you will see signs of the yolk coming out of her vent. This is when you need to have an antibiotic at the ready to give to her immediately.

Merely producing two eggs per cycle isn't a sign of crisis in itself. But it is a sign you need to keep an eye on that hen for the warning signs I just described.