Egg broke inside hen

[Maine_chic]

Hi there, I am in the midst of an emergency situation with my hen, Luna, a one year old Ameracauna. She looked ill to me this morning so I have been keeping an eye on her. I checked to see any signs of being egg bound but did not observe any "tell tale" signs like tail pumping, etc. I did not feel inside her vent, I kept watching and observing her behavior for an hour. I did not observe any symptoms other than that she appears ill. So, I picked her up, ready to insert a gloved, Vaseline-d finger into her vent to rule out egg bound...and, with light pressure on her abdomen (just the pressure of holding her!), when I went to insert a finger, egg material came out. Just yolk and white, no shell. I got a bottle to irrigate her (as if for an enema), and put a little cold water into her vent. I felt around very gently for an egg or shell pieces, and I did not feel any. More egg material leaked out. I have NO tums, all I have for calcium is what I supplement them with...Oyster shell. I can give her yogurt, but thats about it, as she wont eat the oyster shell Im offering her right now. I am typing quickly, hopefully I didnt leave anything out. I have placed a call to a vet (who has, in the past seen my chickens but has been largely VERY unhelpful, through no fault of his own, he is a large animal specialist) PLEASE help if you can, as I have no idea what to do. Treatments such as a bath may or may not help....but of course, it is storming out right now (and I usually do chicken baths outside). OK, fingers crossed here....TIA!!!
PS she is NOT acting as if she is trying to pass an egg or poop AND my fear is that, along with the egg issue, she may need to poop but be unable to, as I saw a small amount of poop exit her vent when I inserted a finger to feel for an egg shell.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

How is your Hen doing today?

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock some help seems to be needed here, are you able to assist?
thank you in advance

 

[Maine_chic]

How is your Hen doing today?

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock some help seems to be needed here, are you able to assist?
thank you in advance

Thank you for asking and for replying and tagging @wyorprock and @Eggcessive!!!!!! She is acting “ok”—I know that’s not very descriptive—NOT her usual self but alert, bright/open eyes, not lethargic (but not moving about much, I believe due to pain). Vet has STILL not contacted me. She ate yogurt last night. Can’t determine if she has pooped. I’ll update as the day goes on. I’m most worried about infection at this point and I’m trying to get antibiotics!! Thank you for caring enough to answer, I really appreciate it.

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

It may be that it was a shell-less egg. If you didnt feel any broken shell when you examined hernand you havent noted any bleeding from her vent, that would be my guess. I would give her a warm Epsom salt bath. I normally give mine in the kitchen sink or tub in a small plastic tote. If she has another egg higher up it may help her move it down. I would keep her inside so you can keep an eye on her until she lays.

 

[Maine_chic]

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply!!! I am keeping a close eye on her today and pray that’s all it was! I am not bringing her in because she is the “leader” and will be SO agitated without her sisters. I know her personality enough to know that this will cause her stress more than benefit. Also, she is my only green egg layer, so that’s a benefit!! Normally, I bring hurt chickens inside but she’s a tough cookie I will try a bath!!! It will be interesting with her.
I will update later today! Thank you again!
PS do you ever give baby aspirin for pain? I don’t want her in pain but not sure it’s the right way to go right now. Also...antibiotics? Or wait? I figure there’s no harm in it as a prophylactic!!

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply!!! I am keeping a close eye on her today and pray that’s all it was! I am not bringing her in because she is the “leader” and will be SO agitated without her sisters. I know her personality enough to know that this will cause her stress more than benefit. Also, she is my only green egg layer, so that’s a benefit!! Normally, I bring hurt chickens inside but she’s a tough cookie I will try a bath!!! It will be interesting with her.
I will update later today! Thank you again!
PS do you ever give baby aspirin for pain? I don’t want her in pain but not sure it’s the right way to go right now. Also...antibiotics? Or wait? I figure there’s no harm in it as a prophylactic!!

Ive never given aspirin to chickens so i dont know how the dosing would work but if she appears to be in pain you could try it. Keep in mind that aspirin is a blood thinner so if you are at all concerned with bleeding I wouldnt give it. As for the antibiotics I would hold off. I wouldnt give them if she doesnt need them. If you see any signs off infection that when I would give them bit that is my opinion. If you feel she neess it give it. Have you noticed her pooping yet?

 

[Maine_chic]

She is doing better! I DID see her poop a small amount, so that was a relief. She is acting well today too. Low energy (but its been storming off-on) however she is eating and drinking. I got her some antibiotics from our vet but I may hold off and see what happens. TY!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that I am only now seeing that I was tagged. I would try to give your hen some calcium in case the shell-less egg was due to a deficiency. A boiled egg, crushed and pulverized shell and all will provide calcium and vitamin D, and she can eat whatever amount she wants. I would repeat that for several days to see if her egg shell firm up. Are her eggs pretty large? The shell gland part if the oviduct is where the shell is added, and injuries or infection, as well as stress may cause a problem with shells. I would not flush out her vent anymore, because it sounds like that may help clear the egg material out, but it also could flush fecal bacteria up into the oviduct. Very few vets, and even chicken owners know a whole lot about broken eggs or shell-less eggs. But that can be a set up for infection later on, especially if it keeps happening. When hens are experiencing shell-less eggs, they may feel weak and lousy, and those eggs can be harder to pass. Hopefully some calcium will help, but sometimes this can be an ongoing problem.

 

[Maine_chic]

Sorry that I am only now seeing that I was tagged. I would try to give your hen some calcium in case the shell-less egg was due to a deficiency. A boiled egg, crushed and pulverized shell and all will provide calcium and vitamin D, and she can eat whatever amount she wants. I would repeat that for several days to see if her egg shell firm up. Are her eggs pretty large? The shell gland part if the oviduct is where the shell is added, and injuries or infection, as well as stress may cause a problem with shells. I would not flush out her vent anymore, because it sounds like that may help clear the egg material out, but it also could flush fecal bacteria up into the oviduct. Very few vets, and even chicken owners know a whole lot about broken eggs or shell-less eggs. But that can be a set up for infection later on, especially if it keeps happening. When hens are experiencing shell-less eggs, they may feel weak and lousy, and those eggs can be harder to pass. Hopefully some calcium will help, but sometimes this can be an ongoing problem.
[/QUOTE ]Hi, TY so very much for your reply!!! Luna is doing better today. I did not observe any egg shell so I am assuming it was indeed a shell-less egg. She has not had any prior and she does not lay particularly large eggs. I offer calcium in form of oyster shell but also supplement with egg shells on occasion, so i will certainly do so now! She has not yet laid an egg since the incident so i am keeping an eye on her. She is acting a little tired, but is eating and drinking. i did hear back from our vet and he said it sounds like a shell-less egg and to just keep an eye on her and see if she lays another (hopefully normal!) egg. I have some antibiotics on hand and ready to administer if she looks like she is not improving. Thank you again for your help (everyone!)

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along, and I hope that it is just a one time issue.