Sick chicken. Weird egg. Bad poop.

[SteviS]

Hello

I have a 2yr old RIR hen. She has not been feeling well lately. Stays alone. Feathers are a little puffed up. She is eating and drinking ok though.
Yesterday she laid this in the nest box. It was rubbery. I have seen a few other rubbery eggs over the years but never one with blood like this.

I have 18 hens in total, the rest seem to be ok, but their egg production is not as good as it used to be. These 18 hens are all just over 2 years old.

I see no signs of worms in the dropping boards but Some of my Legbar girls seem to have watery black and creamy like poop. Not sure what that is about either??

They are all eating and drinking well. Generally happy. They free range everyday all day.

I am feeding them all a starter food right now with 20% protein as I have another group of 11 week old Wyandotte’s and 2 roosters as well.
They all get a few sunflower seeds for snack each day and some vegetable scraps a couple times per week. Mostly cucumbers and tomatoes.

Any help with these couple issues would be appreciated.

 

[GodLovesU]

She could be stressed or need more calcium in her diet.

 

[coach723]

Did you cut that open? Was it a shell less egg, or was it more solid rubbery?
The blood was likely a ruptured blood vessel from straining to pass it. That can happen sometimes and usually resolves on it's own, it can happen with a soft shelled or no shelled egg as they are hard to pass, or sometimes with an extra large egg or one with a rough or oddly shaped shell. If it was indeed a shell less egg, then calcium supplementing may help. If it looks like something else, then possibly infection. If you cut it open, and have pictures, post them.
At two years old, they will often (depends on genetics, breed, etc) start to slow down laying, they will take a little longer each year to make an egg, until they eventually stop at some point, if they live long enough. They also often start to take more time off during the winter (shorter daylight hours) as they get older. That is normal. But two years old is also often the age you start to see reproductive problems, particularly in breeds that lay a lot of eggs.
Watery poops could be many things, if it's hot where you are, they drink a lot of water trying to cool off and that can make them more watery. Also could be something they are eating. If they are all acting normally, then it may be nothing to worry about. Pictures are always welcome.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I am feeding them all a starter food right now with 20% protein as I have another group of 11 week old Wyandotte’s and 2 roosters as well.

Do they have oyster shell or another calcium source free choice on the side?

I see no signs of worms in the dropping boards

Only large round worm species and tape worms may ever be seen in droppings by the naked eye. All others will stay inside the bird and only microscopic oocysts (eggs) will pass.. sometimes seen via fecal float, though may also be passed intermittently.

I have 18 hens in total, the rest seem to be ok, but their egg production is not as good as it used to be. These 18 hens are all just over 2 years old.

Did they have their first major molts yet.. usually they quit laying completely and lose a bunch of feathers.. age may vary according to diet, lighting conditions, genetics, etc.

Please note that sometimes drops in production may be indicative of a hidden nest when we're talking about free range birds.

Was it just a regular shell-less egg inside? The following article linked is pretty good for some general information purposes..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[SteviS]

Did you cut that open? Was it a shell less egg, or was it more solid rubbery?
The blood was likely a ruptured blood vessel from straining to pass it. That can happen sometimes and usually resolves on it's own, it can happen with a soft shelled or no shelled egg as they are hard to pass, or sometimes with an extra large egg or one with a rough or oddly shaped shell. If it was indeed a shell less egg, then calcium supplementing may help. If it looks like something else, then possibly infection. If you cut it open, and have pictures, post them.
At two years old, they will often (depends on genetics, breed, etc) start to slow down laying, they will take a little longer each year to make an egg, until they eventually stop at some point, if they live long enough. They also often start to take more time off during the winter (shorter daylight hours) as they get older. That is normal. But two years old is also often the age you start to see reproductive problems, particularly in breeds that lay a lot of eggs.
Watery poops could be many things, if it's hot where you are, they drink a lot of water trying to cool off and that can make them more watery. Also could be something they are eating. If they are all acting normally, then it may be nothing to worry about. Pictures are always welcome.

Thanks for your reply! It was rubbery. I did poke it open and it was just thick egg white stuff. No yolk.

She was my best laying hen up until a couple weeks ago. She layed pretty much every day, even through the winter. I don’t mind if she slows down or even stops, I just want her to be ok.

I should also say that I have oyster shell in a separate dish for them, as well as ground up egg shells to supplement their calcium. I don’t know if all of them eat it though.

I didn’t take any other pictures, but if it happens again I will.
I will also try and take a picture of the poop I am referring to and post it tomorrow after I clean there coop.
It has been hot here lately so I
know they are probably drinking more, but I have had this poop problem for a while.

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

 

[coach723]

I will attach a link with some pictures, you can compare to see if the inside of what you found looks anything like that. If it did, then you are probably dealing with salpingitis.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[SteviS]

Do they have oyster shell or another calcium source free choice on the side?


Only large round worm species and tape worms may ever be seen in droppings by the naked eye. All others will stay inside the bird and only microscopic oocysts (eggs) will pass.. sometimes seen via fecal float, though may also be passed intermittently.


Did they have their first major molts yet.. usually they quit laying completely and lose a bunch of feathers.. age may vary according to diet, lighting conditions, genetics, etc.

Please note that sometimes drops in production may be indicative of a hidden nest when we're talking about free range birds.

Was it just a regular shell-less egg inside? The following article linked is pretty good for some general information purposes..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

Thank you. That article was helpful. She has molted pretty recently (during the winter, Like February/March which I thought was very odd. It’s very cold here in the winter). She was the last ones to molt. And to be honest, she hasn’t really been the same since then.

 

[SteviS]

I will attach a link with some pictures, you can compare to see if the inside of what you found looks anything like that. If it did, then you are probably dealing with salpingitis.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

Thanks. I looked at the link. It wasn’t like that.(thankfully) It looked like just egg white.

 

[coach723]

I would give a calcium citrate +D (Citracal or generic equivalent - 400 mg) once a day to see if it helps. It could be a reproductive problem, shell gland malfunction, it could be a glitch, it could be calcium deficiency, it sometimes happens. There are a lot of minerals and micro nutrients that can impact calcium absorption as well. Vitamin D is also needed. If she's deficient and you can get it reversed she may be ok after that. I have a bird that lays no shell eggs every time, just the membrane. She has done it since the day she started laying, nothing has made a difference. So I assume her shell gland doesn't function for some reason (she's a year old). I know that eventually it may be her demise, so far she passes them and moves on.

 

[SteviS]

I would give a calcium citrate +D (Citracal or generic equivalent - 400 mg) once a day to see if it helps. It could be a reproductive problem, shell gland malfunction, it could be a glitch, it could be calcium deficiency, it sometimes happens. There are a lot of minerals and micro nutrients that can impact calcium absorption as well. Vitamin D is also needed. If she's deficient and you can get it reversed she may be ok after that. I have a bird that lays no shell eggs every time, just the membrane. She has done it since the day she started laying, nothing has made a difference. So I assume her shell gland doesn't function for some reason (she's a year old). I know that eventually it may be her demise, so far she passes them and moves on.

How do I give that to her?
Can a hen swallow a whole pill? Do I crush it up and try to get her to eat it? Sorry. I really have no idea. Lol.