Soft egg binding

[Miss Lydia]

@CoriM has had one of her female ducks done with the implant I'll let her tell you the story.
So 2 soft shells today. I'm glad you upped her calcium.

The other member is @New duck mommy 2021

 

[CoriM]

So I did a deslorelin implant for my two year old duck who laid non-stop all winter. Her eggs were always fragile and most days crushed in the nest. She also never had molted and her feathers were in terrible condition. She eventually started laying a softshelled egg in the early evenings almost every day and I could say she was struggling with that. I had a deslorelin implant, which cost $175 plus $75 exam fee. She stopped laying right away, which was a huge relief for both of us. She started a hard molt a couple weeks later and has regrown beautiful feathers now, and seems in good spirits. However she started laying again after about 5 weeks (might not have worked very long because we're at the height of the long days). Her eggs are still in the late afternoon/early evening, and soft-shelled. I don't know if she's also laying a hard-shelled egg in the morning, but I don't think so. At this point I am thinking this is a hormonal/reproductive abnormality and not a calcium deficiency because I have previously tried giving her extra calcium to no avail. I read this article today: https://www.raising-ducks.com/can-ducks-lay-two-eggs-in-one-day/
All of my other ducks have no issues.

 

[SolarDuck]

First day of limited daylight seems like it went well, she didn't seem to be struggling in the cage and being dramatic about it like some of my ducks. She was just chilling in there this morning but she was definitely very happy and flappy when I put her in the yard with the other ducks this morning.

 

[SolarDuck]

Just checked on her and got another soft shell egg, that is 3 in a row. Shocking because i have given her a double dose of calcium the last 2 days. All 3 have been already broken with the yolk out by the time I found them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Okay now lay off the calcium except for oyster shell and let her get that when she needs it. Since the calcium doesn't seem to be helping pretty much makes you think it's not becasue of lack of calcium.

 

[SolarDuck]

I did give her calcium again this morning before i saw your post but I will hold off for now. I just got home from work and went to check on her and caught her in the middle of pushing out her egg. It did not look fun. Poor girl was pushed up all the way right against the cage trying to hold her butt over the small water bowl in there as soon as I saw her I went right away to fill up the tub for her but she had it out by the time I got back. Didn't realize it would be so hard for her to lay in that cage. It is the only option I have right now and it will be at least a week before I have a little extra money to put towards a small pen instead. The egg she ended up pushing out was slightly hard compared to the last few but still soft and it had this weird green spot on it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’ve seen similar here. Not the green though. I don’t know what to tell you other than to me it looks like she has something going on with the shell making process . Is she on antibiotics? I know the hernia will make it hard to pass the egg . I’m no vet just my observation on what your seeing what she is laying. How old is she?
this is interesting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4312815/

 

[SolarDuck]

Sorry didn't check this thread for awhile. No she was not on antibiotics at any point and she is 4 years old.

Just wanted to update here saying it seems I have successfully stopped her egg systems she has not laid for the last 5 days and is otherwise doing good so hopefully she will continue not laying until I can afford the surgery.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is good news for sure! Are you going to have hernia surgery done?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did you catch that duck you asked about half the time I am not getting anything showing an update.