What are the chances of pullet becoming egg bound again?

[kbbutterfly]

Hi! I am new to having chickens of my own though my parents have always had chickens. I have 3 hens I think they are all sex links (see picture). My gold colored one started laying eggs on June 30th when she was 15 weeks old. I was very shocked. She has her red combs and waddles in and they are bright red compared to the other two pullets that havent come in at all. She laid egg #2 3 days later , egg #3 the next day and then 2 days later was sitting on the nest but no egg. That was Saturday afternoon. Sunday afternoon i noticed her acting very strange, she is super friendly and will follow you anywhere but she was under my vehicle and wouldnt come out. While getting her out I noticed a sticky clear fluid suspicously like part of an egg. I immediately came to this forum and proceeded to put her in a tub of warm water for 30 minutes. Took her out let her walk around, again another spot of that fluid. Put her back in the tub of warm water and then put her in my lap on a towel with a heating pad for a while before putting her in a crate in the house for a quiet warm place to sleep. Woke up this morning and she had passed the shell which really looked like a deflated egg, tho it wasnt sharp at all.
She was ready to go out, she ate and was running around searching for bugs with the other 2 pullets. Very much acting like her normal self.

Ive read it takes them a few months to get the laying thing down. Now I am very nervous about her having problems the next time she tries to lay. She has had oyster shell in a seperate dish in her coop but she does not seem interested in it at all.

How often do chickens become egg bound? Noone I know that has chickens has ever had it happen to them. It was very scary!

 

[chardob]

Young chickens take a while to get the egg-laying process going, and unfortunatley the conditions that caused her to become egg-bound in the first place need to be addressed or it will happen again.

She needs to be placed on Layer food immediately. Since your other hens are not laying yet, I don't think it will hurt them to eat the layer food, but I'm sure someone here is much better qualified to answer that. Make sure she has oyster shell calcium available at all times, and plenty of fresh water too.

 

[kbbutterfly]

I just started them this AM on layer food. I always keep a dish of oyster shell out. Should I offer her cheese or something with calcium?

She was just fine this am and when i went home for lunch she was out and about and when I left she was in her nesting box. Could she be ready to lay an egg already??????????????

 

[chardob]

Unless you keep her in a dark room she will lay according to her normal schedule. Light is the trigger that makes hens lay - that and age I would never feed cheese to a chicken - if you're concerned about calcium, try mashed egg yokes, plain yogurt or dry kitten food. However, the layer food and available calcium should do the trick.

Edit: cause spelling is fundamental (mostly mental)

 

[kbbutterfly]

I didnt see any info anywhere regarding how long to keep them quiet, im hoping i didnt let her back out to soon. Thank you for you reply and information that is so helpful to a new, nervous chicken mom.

I am anxious to get home and see if she laid an egg or if we are in trouble again!

 

[chardob]

After being egg-bound it is recommended by some to keep the bird quiet and in the dark for at least a day to let her recover. It is a stressful event, and stress is a contributing factor for binding.