Was this chicken really egg bound at all?

[JNorth]

I am new to raising chickens and I must say that this site has been an amazing resource. That said, I have a question about chickens being "egg bound". About a week ago my father-in-law was telling me that a co-worker who has been raising chickens and selling eggs for a while had run into some trouble, she said that the chicken had not been laying any eggs and was egg bound. Being amazed that she had never heard of this site (or had a chicken with problems before) I offered up a little of the information that I had read here (in anticipation of chicken issues). I told him to tell her about the warm water bath. Last night he told me that she tried it with great success!! Woohoo! But then I got to thinking about it and now I have some questions....

He said that she soaked the chicken for about 30 minutes and shortly after drying, she passed yolk and some "mucous" (maybe the whites?). Then a while later she passed some more mucous. I asked if she had passed any shell and he said no.

So was that an egg bound chicken after all? Shouldn't there have been shell? I will say that a good week had passed from the first time I heard about it, to the time that the chicken passed the egg. So what happened to the shell?

Needless to say, I have since recommended this site to her and hopefully she is finding it as helpful as I have!!!

 

[CMV]

Sometimes eggs are soft-shelled, meaning there is a membrane but no shell. These eggs are particularly difficult for hens to pass because there is no hard surface for the body to push against. They can cause egg binding as a result. Soft-shelled eggs are usually just a fluke in the plumbing that happen sometimes.

 

[JNorth]

Thanks! I just always pictured a normal egg getting stuck but that totally makes sense now. Hopefully this chicken goes on to lay eggs soon.

Just for future reference, how long does it take a formerly egg bound hen to lay normally?

 

[CMV]

Sometimes egg binding is just a random event, either a very large egg or a soft-shelled egg is trying to pass. Sometimes it is a predictor of future laying issues that will remain for the rest of a hen's reproductive life. It's hard to tell initially which it will be although fortunately it is normally the former rather than the latter.

Good luck.

 

[JNorth]

Found out last night that the hen did not make it. She had been doing well after passing what was bound, but a few days later so stopped eating, drinking and moving. Not much could be done I guess. Too bad.