What is wrong with our hen? Rubber eggs AND swollen crop

[JVandchicks]

Hi everyone, hoping someone can help as vet care here in California is so expensive.

Our hen, Stormy is 1 years old and about 3 weeks ago started laying rubbery eggs without a shell. We thought maybe calcium so added oyster shell. But then we realized her crop was also very swollen and squishy. We watched some videos and emptied her crop, but she’s right back to feeling bad, not really wanting to eat and swollen crop again and we are concerned she might die.

Thoughts??

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Our hen, Stormy is 1 years old and about 3 weeks ago started laying rubbery eggs without a shell.

Welcome to BYC!

Sorry Stormy is unwell. Please tell me when you say rubbery.. is that just the description of being shelless or are the insides of the egg also a different texture?

Please describe your feed routine including treats and supplements PRIOR to this issue and her breed.

See if this article helps at all..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

See also this article about eggs and possible causes of issues seen including shellless-ness and also rubbery insides (noting it's only been a couple years since the last newcastle's outbreak in Ca, also AI went through this last year and Marek's is considered to be everywhere).. still, I wouldn't jump to those conclusions..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[JVandchicks]

Thank you for the response, both articles were very informative.
Stormy has been eating layer crumble and also scratch thrown in. She lives with her 4 hen sisters, 1 rooster and our 1 duck. I can’t remember her breed, I just remember I purchased her as a chick along with another chick (Welsummer) and for whatever reason CANNOT remember her breed. Maybe I can post a photo and someone here will know.

She has no coughing or nose drip, just the swollen crop along with the rubber eggs. And upon looking at the options of eggs in the second article, they are shelless, no shell just soft rubbery that pops open upon squeezing it.

I did see 2 dead half eaten toads around the time it began. She was also given a bunch of fresh lettuce and spinach around the time it began.

She’s standing off on her own now and looks weak.
Typo: she’s 3 not 1

 

[JVandchicks]

One last update, here is her picture if anyone is able to help identify her breed? Normally her tail is up as she walks, she just had it tucked from the way she was being held.

Her mouth is open because we had just tried the coconut oil suggestion from the link above for her crop, which was distended and sour smelling again. And her last rubber/shelless egg was last night. This has been going on for 2-3 weeks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Calcium deficiency or a problem with her oviduct shell gland are possible problems. I would treat for at least a week with about 600 mg of calcium citrate with vitamin D given orally each day. Just pop it into her beak to swallow. If the calcium does not help, that would rule out a deficiency. Crop slowdown which may lead to impacted or sour crop, or a pendulous crop may be related to pressure inside her abdomen. Her crop looks fairly large in the picture. It sounds like sour crop. Does it ever empty by morning after fasting at night? A crop bra, and treating for a crop disorder may be necessary. Azygous’s article posted above is a good start.

 

[JVandchicks]

Calcium deficiency or a problem with her oviduct shell gland are possible problems. I would treat for at least a week with about 600 mg of calcium citrate with vitamin D given orally each day. Just pop it into her beak to swallow. If the calcium does not help, that would rule out a deficiency. Crop slowdown which may lead to impacted or sour crop, or a pendulous crop may be related to pressure inside her abdomen. Her crop looks fairly large in the picture. It sounds like sour crop. Does it ever empty by morning after fasting at night? A crop bra, and treating for a crop disorder may be necessary. Azygous’s article posted above is a good start.

Thank you for your reply

Yes the article was very informative. We went through the steps and she just seems to be getting worse. I think she might die, wondering if we put her out of her misery or just wait and see? It’s so sad. Maybe something just going wrong internally?
Been doing the calcium, the epsom salt, oil crop massage and she just looks weak