Sebright laying lots of eggs and egg bound issue

[Fwoof]

@Kglassmo
@Wyorp Rock
Stormy is doing so much better!
she is back to her usual self now, shouting for treats whenever I open the door, flying over the fence and following me around, chasing pullets... (She's also been laying less, but not a single soft shelled egg!)
It makes me so happy to see her doing this well! I cannot thank you enough!
Also a question...
Should I keep giving her her supplements daily

These are her daily supplements I thought I'd share...
Calcium Citrate and D3 powder mixed with oats.
B12 powder, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and Ginger (I recently started adding ginger because I've researched that hens can get ovarian tumors during this time, and that ginger is a great natural preventative) mixed with oats.
Both of these oatmeal mixtures are fed separately.

or start weaning her off of them?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad to hear she's doing much better!

Since she's been laying hard shelled eggs, I would stop the Calcium Citrate + D3, see how things go. If she starts to have soft shells again, then give the extra Calcium + D3 for 3-5 days.

I don't know what other supplements you have been giving, most should not be given long term, so if it's been a week or two, then I'd start tapering off.

 

[Fwoof]

Glad to hear she's doing much better!

Since she's been laying hard shelled eggs, I would stop the Calcium Citrate + D3, see how things go. If she starts to have soft shells again, then give the extra Calcium + D3 for 3-5 days.

Got it. I'll start by only giving her half of the usual dosage for a day or two so she can slowly transition.

I don't know what other supplements you have been giving, most should not be given long term, so if it's been a week or two, then I'd start tapering off.

The only other sups she's on are B12 and E (which is in black oil sunflower seeds) and I don't know if you'd count ginger root powder as a supplement! I've been giving her only half the normal dosage of this as well, excluding the ginger.

 

[Fwoof]

*Update*
Stormy is still doing well, but I've noticed something odd.
Her balance is now off again (I'm giving her B12 and E daily again now.) and I've noticed that whenever I pick her up and set her down, she doesn't change whatever position her feet were in before. She perches on my arm/hand with her toes all crumpled too. She can still walk fine, and her feet are where they're supposed to be when she perches for the night, too.
It's almost as if she's lost feeling in her feet or something. Could she have something like an ovarian tumor or inflamation that's pressing on a nerve?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

*Update*
Stormy is still doing well, but I've noticed something odd.
Her balance is now off again (I'm giving her B12 and E daily again now.) and I've noticed that whenever I pick her up and set her down, she doesn't change whatever position her feet were in before. She perches on my arm/hand with her toes all crumpled too. She can still walk fine, and her feet are where they're supposed to be when she perches for the night, too.
It's almost as if she's lost feeling in her feet or something. Could she have something like an ovarian tumor or inflamation that's pressing on a nerve?

Hard to know.

I'd give 400IU Vitamin E, along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex which contains B1(Thiamine), B2(Riboflavin), etc.

B12 is just B12 (Cobalamin), while it is helpful, it's not going to help with the uptake of E like B1 will.

 

[Fwoof]

Update on how Stormy's doing...

I've stopped giving her calcium but continuing to give her daily B1 and E.
I definitely see improvements from how she was before, but she is experiencing a few difficulties.
She's still eating and drinking like normal, but I've noticed she doesn't take treats with as much determination as she used to, and is letting the other hens eat it before her.
Hasn't laid any eggs at all, but I felt her abdomen yesterday and felt a tiny barely noticeable lump. Should I be worried about this? I gave her some calcium and D3 yesterday just in case it was a last egg or something.
She no longer has balance issues, but seems to have lost some (but only a little) feeling in her feet and she's not as confident in flight as she used to be. Also taking lots more naps.
Is any of this concerning to any of you? Or are these normal things for hens to experience as they get older?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update on how Stormy's doing...

I've stopped giving her calcium but continuing to give her daily B1 and E.
I definitely see improvements from how she was before, but she is experiencing a few difficulties.
She's still eating and drinking like normal, but I've noticed she doesn't take treats with as much determination as she used to, and is letting the other hens eat it before her.
Hasn't laid any eggs at all, but I felt her abdomen yesterday and felt a tiny barely noticeable lump. Should I be worried about this? I gave her some calcium and D3 yesterday just in case it was a last egg or something.
She no longer has balance issues, but seems to have lost some (but only a little) feeling in her feet and she's not as confident in flight as she used to be. Also taking lots more naps.
Is any of this concerning to any of you? Or are these normal things for hens to experience as they get older?

Sounds like she's improved and is hanging in there.

Take it day by day. If she's eating/drinking and moving about, she's winning for now.

 

[Kglassmo]

Update on how Stormy's doing...

I've stopped giving her calcium but continuing to give her daily B1 and E.
I definitely see improvements from how she was before, but she is experiencing a few difficulties.
She's still eating and drinking like normal, but I've noticed she doesn't take treats with as much determination as she used to, and is letting the other hens eat it before her.
Hasn't laid any eggs at all, but I felt her abdomen yesterday and felt a tiny barely noticeable lump. Should I be worried about this? I gave her some calcium and D3 yesterday just in case it was a last egg or something.
She no longer has balance issues, but seems to have lost some (but only a little) feeling in her feet and she's not as confident in flight as she used to be. Also taking lots more naps.
Is any of this concerning to any of you? Or are these normal things for hens to experience as they get older?

I’m glad to hear Stormy has been improving. As hens enter their golden years they can become picky eaters, and eat less as egg production declines and then stops altogether. My elderly hens eat much less than younger ones and tend to choose their favorites. I give black oil sunflower seeds, fresh greens (kale, arugula, cabbage, collards, spinach, mixed greens, broccoli, etc as available) year round to provide extra vitamins. B vitamins, E and A are vital to support healthy avians. If they are bad off I use Save-A-Chick, Hydro Hen, or Prime Avian vitamin powder dissolved in water, for them to drink for a week or two.

My flock is in various stages of molting- it could be Stormy is entering molt. When they enter molt the pin feathers develop underneath skin surface first which requires extra nutrients and can make birds cranky and lethargic, pin feathers hurt especially when they emerge through skin. Providing extra protein, calcium, and vitamins is important during molt to keep birds healthy and allow them to feather out without pulling nutrients away from their bodies.

One more condition I’ve dealt with is hyperkeratosis, which causes over developed scales (legs/feet), over grown beak, or rough/curled feathers. This occurs due to vitamin A deficiency. Sometimes as avians age their ability to absorb vitamins declines, so even if vitamins are present they are only absorbing small amounts. This is why I provide vitamins year round since I have many elderly birds in my mixed flock. If Stormy has overgrown scales on her feet this may cause stiffness and make it difficult for her to get a good grip on perch.

That is all I can think of for now. I hope she continues to improve and yes, it’s normal for older birds to be less active. Good luck.

 

[Fwoof]

I’m glad to hear Stormy has been improving. As hens enter their golden years they can become picky eaters, and eat less as egg production declines and then stops altogether. My elderly hens eat much less than younger ones and tend to choose their favorites. I give black oil sunflower seeds, fresh greens (kale, arugula, cabbage, collards, spinach, mixed greens, broccoli, etc as available) year round to provide extra vitamins. B vitamins, E and A are vital to support healthy avians. If they are bad off I use Save-A-Chick, Hydro Hen, or Prime Avian vitamin powder dissolved in water, for them to drink for a week or two.

Sounds like she's improved and is hanging in there.

Take it day by day. If she's eating/drinking and moving about, she's winning for now.

That's good to know, I thought it was just a factor of getting older, but just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong.

My flock is in various stages of molting- it could be Stormy is entering molt. When they enter molt the pin feathers develop underneath skin surface first which requires extra nutrients and can make birds cranky and lethargic, pin feathers hurt especially when they emerge through skin. Providing extra protein, calcium, and vitamins is important during molt to keep birds healthy and allow them to feather out without pulling nutrients away from their bodies.

She has been starting to lose her tail feathers, so I suspected a molt was around the corner. I've been feeding lots of mealworms and there are black oil sunflower seeds in her daily mix.

One more condition I’ve dealt with is hyperkeratosis, which causes over developed scales (legs/feet), over grown beak, or rough/curled feathers. This occurs due to vitamin A deficiency. Sometimes as avians age their ability to absorb vitamins declines, so even if vitamins are present they are only absorbing small amounts. This is why I provide vitamins year round since I have many elderly birds in my mixed flock. If Stormy has overgrown scales on her feet this may cause stiffness and make it difficult for her to get a good grip on perch.

Stormy's scales aren't overgrown, but I have a Buff Orpington of the same age who does! This is good to know, I was wondering why her scales were like that, as I didn't see any signs of mites. I'll start giving her more A and see what happens.

That is all I can think of for now. I hope she continues to improve and yes, it’s normal for older birds to be less active. Good luck.

Thank you so much for all the info!

 

[Fwoof]

I still feel the lump in the side of her belly, so I doubt it's an egg now. Should I be worried? She's acting normal.