Chicken is lethargic, puffed up and lays broken eggs

[AbbyTeters]

Hi, this is my first post and I need help.

Leia is an 8 month old Easter Egger. (We only have 2 other hens, also 8 months old) They are in a large run / coop exclusively.

She started laying eggs about a month ago. She laid 3 good eggs and then since then she lays about every other day and they are always broken with super soft smushy shells. Other than the broken egg laying she was acting normally, eatting and drinking the same, etc.

Then about a week ago I noticed a lot of yucky stuck to her feathers under her vent. White / yellow and runny. But I didn't see any unusual poop in the run or coop.

I thought she had Vent Gleet. I cleaned her in warm water, stopped feeding any treats and used elecrolytes / probiotics in her water. The amount of discharge on her feathers is not gone, but is less than before. Still laying broken soft eggs every other day or so.

This afternoon she got very puffed up and lethargic. She just laid in the run all afternoon. (Not her normal)

I let her out to walk around a bit (the first time ever) while I watched her and she perked right up and pecked around and had a good time. She definitely went back in the run tonight and gobbled up some food and drank before bed.

I feel like I am missing something. All of the things I have googled have such similar symptoms that I don't know which one to go with. The closest avian vet that I can find is 2 hours away. I don't know if one of her broken eggs left some yolk inside her and she has an infection, if it really is vent gleet or if she is impacted / sour crop or even coccidosis. (We lost a baby chick to that back in September.)

Anyone have any ideas? I really appreciate some of your experience or expertise on this. We are a first time chicken family and love our girls so much. Leia is my 8 year olds chicken. They are very attached to each other. Sorry for the length.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Hi, this is my first post and I need help.

Leia is an 8 month old Easter Egger. (We only have 2 other hens, also 8 months old) They are in a large run / coop exclusively.

She started laying eggs about a month ago. She laid 3 good eggs and then since then she lays about every other day and they are always broken with super soft smushy shells. Other than the broken egg laying she was acting normally, eatting and drinking the same, etc.

Then about a week ago I noticed a lot of yucky stuck to her feathers under her vent. White / yellow and runny. But I didn't see any unusual poop in the run or coop.

I thought she had Vent Gleet. I cleaned her in warm water, stopped feeding any treats and used elecrolytes / probiotics in her water. The amount of discharge on her feathers is not gone, but is less than before. Still laying broken soft eggs every other day or so.

This afternoon she got very puffed up and lethargic. She just laid in the run all afternoon. (Not her normal)

I let her out to walk around a bit (the first time ever) while I watched her and she perked right up and pecked around and had a good time. She definitely went back in the run tonight and gobbled up some food and drank before bed.

I feel like I am missing something. All of the things I have googled have such similar symptoms that I don't know which one to go with. The closest avian vet that I can find is 2 hours away. I don't know if one of her broken eggs left some yolk inside her and she has an infection, if it really is vent gleet or if she is impacted / sour crop or even coccidosis. (We lost a baby chick to that back in September.)

Anyone have any ideas? I really appreciate some of your experience or expertise on this. We are a first time chicken family and love our girls so much. Leia is my 8 year olds chicken. They are very attached to each other. Sorry for the length.

Mate she is not getting enough Calcium. Do you have oyster shells?

 

[AbbyTeters]

Mate she is not getting enough Calcium. Do you have oyster shells?

Yes, sorry I should have mentioned that. I mix oyster shells and grit into their crumble food.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Yes, sorry I should have mentioned that. I mix oyster shells and grit into their crumble food.

Ah ok. I am not sure what could be causing the problem.... Sadly.

But don't give up hope! These people here are experts: @azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[azygous]

It's possible she can have a reproductive disorder at the same time as coccidiosis. But with her history, truncated as it is, it sure appears she is having laying problems and they could be catching up to her.

You are right to be worried about infection if any of these eggs collapsed inside the oviduct before being expelled. I would treat her with an oral antibiotic to safeguard her fertility in case infection has begun. You can also safely give her a round of Corid to be safe.

What she needs most of all is a calcium supplement to get her system recalibrated and her calcium reserves brought up to a healthy level. Some hens don't absorb calcium very well from oyster shell since it's calcium carbonate and not easy to digest. This is what I recommend giving, until she's back on the map. Afterward, she can go back to oyster shell, but give it free choice not mixed into food so she can take what she needs. It's possible you were giving an adequate amount mixed into food. That's why free choice is best.

It should be given whole directly in her beak, not crushed or diluted in water. Do this each day until her eggs are normal again.

For the antibiotic, you can order it here https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/ or call and see if TSC in your area has it. The dose is 250mg per day for ten days.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of her, her vent/discharge and her poop?
What do you feed, including treats?

I would give her Calcium for several days to see if the shell quality improves. Calcium Citrate, 1 tablet daily.
Does the discharge have a yeasty smell or is it more like egg material.
Make sure she's eating/drinking well and see that her crop is emptying overnight.

 

[AbbyTeters]

Hi. I can get a picture in the morning.
She eats Purina crumbles, grit, oyster shell normally. I give 5 grain scratch thrown into their run daily. We do a treat other than that every other day or so. They have had lettuce, banana, pumpkin w/ seeds, strawberry tops and occasional meal worms.

The discharge smells really bad. Like old poop kind of. It could be egg material though. Today it looked like some of her egg was wiped on the side of the run right by where she laid it (first time she has laid in the run and not in the coop)

I will try my hand at checking her crop in the morning. She seems to be eatting and drinking normally.

 

[AbbyTeters]

It's possible she can have a reproductive disorder at the same time as coccidiosis. But with her history, truncated as it is, it sure appears she is having laying problems and they could be catching up to her.

You are right to be worried about infection if any of these eggs collapsed inside the oviduct before being expelled. I would treat her with an oral antibiotic to safeguard her fertility in case infection has begun. You can also safely give her a round of Corid to be safe.

What she needs most of all is a calcium supplement to get her system recalibrated and her calcium reserves brought up to a healthy level. Some hens don't absorb calcium very well from oyster shell since it's calcium carbonate and not easy to digest. This is what I recommend giving, until she's back on the map. Afterward, she can go back to oyster shell, but give it free choice not mixed into food so she can take what she needs. It's possible you were giving an adequate amount mixed into food. That's why free choice is best.View attachment 3059602

It should be given whole directly in her beak, not crushed or diluted in water. Do this each day until her eggs are normal again.

For the antibiotic, you can order it here https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/ or call and see if TSC in your area has it. The dose is 250mg per day for ten days.

Thanks! Is that the right antibiotic? It says it is for fish. (sorry, newbie over here)

 

[AbbyTeters]

Thanks! Is that the right antibiotic? It says it is for fish. (sorry, newbie over here)

Is this one too strong?
https://www.amazon.com/Solaray-Calc...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[azygous]

As far as I know, there are no antibiotics specially marketed for chickens, meaning there is no "chicken mox". Amoxicillin is amoxicillin. Since this is marketed for fish, we are able to buy it without a prescription. It works just as well on chickens since amoxicillin is amoxicillin no matter what words you put on the bottle with it. As long as the dose is correct, that's all we need to be concerned about.

The 1000mg calcium will do just fine. Remember, this is not to be given beyond the length of time required to get the issue corrected, then she can go back to oyster shell for her daily calcium needs.