What is going on?! Eggbound or something else?

mertzee

Chirping
Apr 12, 2021
67
58
96
Middle TN
My wheat maran laid a ginormous egg a couple days ago and seemed fine afterward. Last night when putting her up for the night, my mom picked her up and somehow ended up with yolk and white (I think) from her breast to her shoe. We couldn't find a shell anywhere and when I checked her vent it seemed prolapsed. (I'm guessing because it was bright red) There was a foreign material stuck to it that kind of resembled the membrane inside an egg. I took her and put her in a warm epsom salt bath and right away the vent appeared normal. I put her back in the crate for the night (I'm in the process of trying integrate two into my flock). She seemed fine but as we talked about how she had behaved during the day I'm becoming more alarmed. She sat on the roost for hours and slightly rocked and kept closing her eyes. I checked her vent this morning (not really knowing what I was doing so I only felt inside about an inch) and felt nothing that seemed unusual. Today she is behaving similarly except squatting a lot, blinking quickly, etc. I have no idea what to do now. Please help. It will break our hearts to lose her!
 
My wheat maran laid a ginormous egg a couple days ago and seemed fine afterward. Last night when putting her up for the night, my mom picked her up and somehow ended up with yolk and white (I think) from her breast to her shoe. We couldn't find a shell anywhere and when I checked her vent it seemed prolapsed. (I'm guessing because it was bright red) There was a foreign material stuck to it that kind of resembled the membrane inside an egg. I took her and put her in a warm epsom salt bath and right away the vent appeared normal. I put her back in the crate for the night (I'm in the process of trying integrate two into my flock). She seemed fine but as we talked about how she had behaved during the day I'm becoming more alarmed. She sat on the roost for hours and slightly rocked and kept closing her eyes. I checked her vent this morning (not really knowing what I was doing so I only felt inside about an inch) and felt nothing that seemed unusual. Today she is behaving similarly except squatting a lot, blinking quickly, etc. I have no idea what to do now. Please help. It will break our hearts to lose her!
Sounds like that egg material may have spilled in the oviduct, this can make them feel unwell.
It's possible that she may be trying to expel another egg that is soft shelled. Is she pooping at all?

I would make sure she's hydrated (get her drinking) and offer her extra calcium. You can give 1 Caltrate with D3 once a day for 3-5 days or 1 Tums for the same period of time if that's all you have.

See how she does, sometimes an antibiotic is needed to fight infection if the membrane broke before she laid the egg. Amoxicillin would be a good choice.
 
She passed what appears to be an internal egg on Saturday. My black sexlinks are brutalizing her and another maran I am trying to integrate into my flock so I don't know if she has been so stressed out that this is what is happening to her or if its something else. I'm in the process of building a second coop to try to make it easier for she and my other maran to lay and honestly for me having to keep moving them back and forth morning and night from/to a dog crate in my shed because the black ones won't allow them near the coop hardly. :fl That's a whole 'nother forum post though.
 

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She passed what appears to be an internal egg on Saturday. My black sexlinks are brutalizing her and another maran I am trying to integrate into my flock so I don't know if she has been so stressed out that this is what is happening to her or if its something else. I'm in the process of building a second coop to try to make it easier for she and my other maran to lay and honestly for me having to keep moving them back and forth morning and night from/to a dog crate in my shed because the black ones won't allow them near the coop hardly. :fl That's a whole 'nother forum post though.

Oh and she does appear to be pooping fine and eating and drinking fine.
Was that soft when you found it? Just curious.
It's quite odd, I don't think I've seen anything quite like that. She may have more going on, but the stress is not helping.
The moving them about may also be stressful as well.
Sadly, chickens are not always nice to one another and integration can be dramatic. I usually let it all play out unless someone's getting hurt and bloodied up.

I would still give the extra calcium if you haven't done so and I think I would also give the 2 newbies a direct dose of poultry vitamins once a week to help with stress.
 
Was that soft when you found it? Just curious.
It's quite odd, I don't think I've seen anything quite like that. She may have more going on, but the stress is not helping.
The moving them about may also be stressful as well.
Sadly, chickens are not always nice to one another and integration can be dramatic. I usually let it all play out unless someone's getting hurt and bloodied up.

I would still give the extra calcium if you haven't done so and I think I would also give the 2 newbies a direct dose of poultry vitamins once a week to help with stress.
It was pliable and wet when I found it. She seems otherwise healthy.
 
She is having real trouble with laying a good egg. I found another egg in the coop that was crushed and the shell was VERY THIN. I don’t know what to do to help her. She laid a double yolker the other day and hasn’t laid a good egg since??
 

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