Yolk in Poo?

[BarryTheBold]

My hen was acting different last night- open mouth breathing hard in the perch and acting like she couldn’t stand- so I brought her in to the house in the “hospital cage”
This morning in her poop there was yellow egg yolk color mixed in the otherwise normal poop. Then a short while later a very liquidy yellow poop that was the same color as cooked egg yolk.
She laid a perfect egg yesterday morning and acted fine all day.
She has been laying every other day with no problems until this.
We just lost a hen to lash egg problems a couple months ago, though its said to not be contagious? I’m hoping to get her into to an avian vet soon, but I am curious if this could just be some sort of misfire? Stress induced situation? There were falcons stalking them yesterday, which stressed them out. Safe inside their run though, so I’m not too worried about that - as there are many birds who fly over... just wondering if anyone here has had this happen once or twice and then revert to normal. Thanks!!

 

[azygous]

Got a pic of the poop? It would help us to see it.

I don't quite understand if she laid the perfect egg before or after you noticed the eggy poop.

Sometimes if you get on top of it quickly, you may be able to stop a reproductive infection with an oral antibiotic. I would get to an avian vet ASAP.

 

[BarryTheBold]

Sorry— the egg was laid yesterday morning and it was last night when she was acting strange and this morning when she pooped- this is the 3rd one I’ve seen this color this morning.

I’ve called an avian vet and am waiting to hear back!

 

[azygous]

Thank you for the photos. Is she still behaving "off"? What has she been doing since you posted earlier?

Have you checked her crop? That's always good to rule out. But it does appear to be a reproductive issue. I'm concerned she may have released to egg yolks far enough apart that the second one is a shell-less egg and may be hung up. I've had this happen to several hens over the years, and it can make them extremely uncomfortable until the second egg is expelled.

I give a calcium supplement to encourage strong contractions to help the hen get the second egg out. It wouldn't hurt anything to try that. Ordinary people calcium tablets such as calcium citrate. Or even a Tums.

 

[BarryTheBold]

Thank you for the photos. Is she still behaving "off"? What has she been doing since you posted earlier?

Have you checked her crop? That's always good to rule out. But it does appear to be a reproductive issue. I'm concerned she may have released to egg yolks far enough apart that the second one is a shell-less egg and may be hung up. I've had this happen to several hens over the years, and it can make them extremely uncomfortable until the second egg is expelled.

I give a calcium supplement to encourage strong contractions to help the hen get the second egg out. It wouldn't hurt anything to try that. Ordinary people calcium tablets such as calcium citrate. Or even a Tums.

Thank you for the replies @azygous

She was acting a little more mellow than usual in the house- she was eating lettuce and apples and drinking water, but the poop was still very much the same, if in smaller quanity than the pictures. Yellow is the same color as a hardboiled egg yolk, all the liquid was that color. She is back in the coop- and ate but looks like she is pale compared to the rest and acting lethargic/ not 100%.

Thank you for the calcium advice!! I can not get into see an again vet until Sunday, so this is very helpful! I appreciate it!

 

[Eggcessive]

The bright yellow can sometimes be from liver disease or E.coli infection in the body. All animals have some E.coli in their intestines but it can cause infection in the reproductive tract and other organs. The vet could be helpful in diagnosis.

 

[Yahoo29]

Thank you for the replies @azygous

She was acting a little more mellow than usual in the house- she was eating lettuce and apples and drinking water, but the poop was still very much the same, if in smaller quanity than the pictures. Yellow is the same color as a hardboiled egg yolk, all the liquid was that color. She is back in the coop- and ate but looks like she is pale compared to the rest and acting lethargic/ not 100%.

Thank you for the calcium advice!! I can not get into see an again vet until Sunday, so this is very helpful! I appreciate it!

Hello, we are seeing the same problem with our chicken. We did take her to a vet, he tested her poop, but said alls okay. We know for a fact that something is wrong since she has not laid any eggs since a week now, and the yellow in the poop is very clearly yolk. Did you figure out what the problem was with your chicken?