Lash eggs. Is this contagious?

[hugitnotnugget]

I have a hen who has had runny green poop for about a week. She has been drinking a lot! But she isn’t eating much. I found 2 small (about the size of a jellybean and the other about twice that size) lash eggs in her pen this morning. I had one hen with the same poops and lash eggs. Antibiotics made her poop look normal again for a little while but she died 3 weeks later. This was before Christmas. Could this hen have caught it from her? We don’t have a avian vet near me. The one I went to last time thought I was crazy and didn’t know there were such things as lash eggs. Is there antibiotics I can get online that would work? Culling her would be very difficult for me and I will try anything I can. I would be completely devastated if this affects the rest of the flock. Everyone else is completely normal and very active with the warm weather.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a hen who has had runny green poop for about a week. She has been drinking a lot! But she isn’t eating much. I found 2 small (about the size of a jellybean and the other about twice that size) lash eggs in her pen this morning. I had one hen with the same poops and lash eggs. Antibiotics made her poop look normal again for a little while but she died 3 weeks later. This was before Christmas. Could this hen have caught it from her? We don’t have a avian vet near me. The one I went to last time thought I was crazy and didn’t know there were such things as lash eggs. Is there antibiotics I can get online that would work? Culling her would be very difficult for me and I will try anything I can. I would be completely devastated if this affects the rest of the flock. Everyone else is completely normal and very active with the warm weather.

No, it's not contagious, but it's not uncommon for more than one to have the same condition in a flock.
If your flock has ever had a respiratory disease - Mycoplasma or Infectious Bronchitis those would be a contributing factor. Infection from E.Coli is another possibility.

You can try treating with an antibiotic to see if that helps. Often there is more lash material in the oviduct and it will accumulate, but some report if caught early they are successful in prolonging life.
I would use Baytril to treat her https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10

https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/disorders-of-the-reproductive-system/salpingitis-in-poultry
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/134/salpingitis/

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. You should do some reading about salpingitis and internal laying. When they have salpingitis or inflammation of the ovary, they can have those lash eggs or masses of solid pus and egg material, and they can go into the abdomen from above or be passed down through the egg tract. Baytril which is banned in chickens in the US, is one of the few antibiotics that will treat both E.coli, and mycoplasma, two of the organisms that can cause infection. It is not really a contageous disease, especially since there is E.coli everywhere in droppings, but it can climb up the egg tract from the vent area. So no worry about other hens. It is just a common problem in laying hens, and a common cause of death. As long as you don’t worry about eating eapggs or her meat, you can use Baytril (enrofloxacin) 0.05 ml per pound—which is 0.25 ml or 1/4 ml for a 5 pound hen. Give it orally twice a day for 5-6 days. When lash eggs occur, the infectious process has progressed, but you may be able to prolong her life with antibiotics. Here is where I recently bought Baytril and got it in 2 days:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/misc/
Order the small 100 ml bottle of 10% enrofloxacin. It is $20 and with shipping and tax, I paid $31 total.

Edited to say that I was writing after @Wyorp Rock had posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some info on salpingitis:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/134/salpingitis/

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[hugitnotnugget]

No, it's not contagious, but it's not uncommon for more than one to have the same condition in a flock.
If your flock has ever had a respiratory disease - Mycoplasma or Infectious Bronchitis those would be a contributing factor. Infection from E.Coli is another possibility.

You can try treating with an antibiotic to see if that helps. Often there is more lash material in the oviduct and it will accumulate, but some report if caught early they are successful in prolonging life.
I would use Baytril to treat her https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10

https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/disorders-of-the-reproductive-system/salpingitis-in-poultry
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/134/salpingitis/

Thank you!!!

 

[hugitnotnugget]

Sorry about your hen. You should do some reading about salpingitis and internal laying. When they have salpingitis or inflammation of the ovary, they can have those lash eggs or masses of solid pus and egg material, and they can go into the abdomen from above or be passed down through the egg tract. Baytril which is banned in chickens in the US, is one of the few antibiotics that will treat both E.coli, and mycoplasma, two of the organisms that can cause infection. It is not really a contageous disease, especially since there is E.coli everywhere in droppings, but it can climb up the egg tract from the vent area. So no worry about other hens. It is just a common problem in laying hens, and a common cause of death. As long as you don’t worry about eating eapggs or her meat, you can use Baytril (enrofloxacin) 0.05 ml per pound—which is 0.25 ml or 1/4 ml for a 5 pound hen. Give it orally twice a day for 5-6 days. When lash eggs occur, the infectious process has progressed, but you may be able to prolong her life with antibiotics. Here is where I recently bought Baytril and got it in 2 days:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/misc/
Order the small 100 ml bottle of 10% enrofloxacin. It is $20 and with shipping and tax, I paid $31 total.

Edited to say that I was writing after @Wyorp Rock had posted.

Thank you!!!

 

[rebrascora]

Two other things to consider as possible causes when more than one are suffering this ailment are:-
Do you keep a drake in with your hens as they will sometimes mate with chickens, especially if they are young and do not have enough female ducks to keep them satisfied. Because the mechanics of the way they mate is different, it can both introduce infection and/or injure a hen/pullet.
Overweight hens can be more susceptible to infection of the oviduct (salpingitis) because they are more prone to prolapse, so assessing the body condition of your hens and looking at their diet is worth doing just in case this is a factor. We all love to treat our chickens and it can very easily get out of hand, especially as they are so small compared to us so what looks like a small treat to us is a massive one for them.

I hope you are able to help her but do not beat yourself up if she doesn't make it. Salpingitis is unfortunately usually fatal sooner or later. Do what you can but be prepared to end it for her if she does not respond to treatment. The lack of appetite and green poop usually indicates that their digestive system is shutting down. If she has a significant swelling below her vent then I would end it for her now, as, short of extremely expensive surgery, she will be in a great deal of discomfort with no hope of relief/recovery.

 

[hugitnotnugget]

We do have two drakes with the chickens. I haven't noticed them mating with the chickens or each other. There is no swelling. Other than her losing weight she seems normal. No swelling by the vent.

Two other things to consider as possible causes when more than one are suffering this ailment are:-
Do you keep a drake in with your hens as they will sometimes mate with chickens, especially if they are young and do not have enough female ducks to keep them satisfied. Because the mechanics of the way they mate is different, it can both introduce infection and/or injure a hen/pullet.
Overweight hens can be more susceptible to infection of the oviduct (salpingitis) because they are more prone to prolapse, so assessing the body condition of your hens and looking at their diet is worth doing just in case this is a factor. We all love to treat our chickens and it can very easily get out of hand, especially as they are so small compared to us so what looks like a small treat to us is a massive one for them.

I hope you are able to help her but do not beat yourself up if she doesn't make it. Salpingitis is unfortunately usually fatal sooner or later. Do what you can but be prepared to end it for her if she does not respond to treatment. The lack of appetite and green poop usually indicates that their digestive system is shutting down. If she has a significant swelling below her vent then I would end it for her now, as, short of extremely expensive surgery, she will be in a great deal of discomfort with no hope of relief/recovery.

 

[rebrascora]

How old are the drakes and how many female ducks do you have. I'm afraid that my money would be on them as the most likely cause and I would definitely pen them separately from the chickens. Unless you are there with them from very early in the morning until they go to roost at night, you could easily miss them mating the hens but it is a common occurrence with drakes and chickens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old are the drakes and how many female ducks do you have. I'm afraid that my money would be on them as the most likely cause and I would definitely pen them separately from the chickens. Unless you are there with them from very early in the morning until they go to roost at night, you could easily miss them mating the hens but it is a common occurrence with drakes and chickens.

Always a possibility, but looking back at the OP's past postings, there seems to be indication of ear infection and what seems like a hen that lost her voice for a while(?) would be interesting to know the causes of both those instances. Respiratory disease in if what most people would define as a mild case or even cold are a cause of Salpinigitis. These causes should be considered as well. Getting testing to find out if the birds are carriers of disease would be a good idea if she's loses this one.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ear-infection.1278859/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-lost-its-voice.1185850/