Thin wrinkly shells

[Hopeful homesteader]

Have you verified if she's ever laid normal eggs prior to when this started? I only ask because a friend had a similar thing but never knew if the hen ever laid normal eggs, she collected 3 eggs every day and had 4 hens and then suddenly started getting the wrinkly 4th egg at a year old and that hen passed shortly after from internal laying causing an infection. If she's never laid normal eggs she could have a defective shell gland that's been there from the start and not related to illness.

 

[Shaste]

Have you verified if she's ever laid normal eggs prior to when this started? I only ask because a friend had a similar thing but never knew if the hen ever laid normal eggs, she collected 3 eggs every day and had 4 hens and then suddenly started getting the wrinkly 4th egg at a year old and that hen passed shortly after from internal laying causing an infection. If she's never laid normal eggs she could have a defective shell gland that's been there from the start and not related to illness.

Yes she was laying normal eggs since last August when they started laying. My 3 girls all lay different colored eggs so they're easy to tell apart.

 

[Shaste]

Well another update, she's still not eating, very lethargic. Passed a little more shell with a spot of blood on it this morning. I've been syringing water to keep her hydrated. The Epsom salt baths seem to stress her more than help. Not sure what else I should do?

 

[RedHillChicken]

Well another update, she's still not eating, very lethargic. Passed a little more shell with a spot of blood on it this morning. I've been syringing water to keep her hydrated. The Epsom salt baths seem to stress her more than help. Not sure what else I should do?

Is she having any white runny pus looking discharge?

 

[Shaste]

No, when I picked her up to give her water a bit ago she had a runny green and white poop all over my lap. No pus though.

 

[RedHillChicken]

No, when I picked her up to give her water a bit ago she had a runny green and white poop all over my lap. No pus though.

Is she still lethargic? You may want to isolate her so that you can keep a close eye on her. The warm epsom salts baths, even though she doesn't like them, may help her relax enough to pass the rest of the egg shell.

 

[Shaste]

Yes very lethargic. She fights in the bath, so seems less relaxed? I guess good that she's strong enough to fight. She's not getting picked on so I've left her for now. I have a camera on them for observation.

 

[RedHillChicken]

Yes very lethargic. She fights in the bath, so seems less relaxed? I guess good that she's strong enough to fight. She's not getting picked on so I've left her for now. I have a camera on them for observation.

You may want to reach out to @Wyorp Rock, an expert, to get more advice. You could mix a little of her food with a scrambled egg, just to entice her to eat. Sounds like you're doing all you can.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So I stopped the calcium and Sunny's eggs were fine for about a week, then started getting noticeable body checking, then thinner and more wrinkly again. Yesterday I think she had an egg break inside her which is what I've been worried about. I found a poop mixed with shell and egg material in their run, and she was acting sluggish last night. Gave her a calcium and did the bath routine that had been recommended on here, and squeezed some plain water into her vent using a baby nose syringe (I knew I was keeping that for a reason!)

Anything else we can do for her? Would mineral oil into her vent be a good idea? This morning she is hunched up and fluffed, looking unwell.

Well another update, she's still not eating, very lethargic. Passed a little more shell with a spot of blood on it this morning. I've been syringing water to keep her hydrated. The Epsom salt baths seem to stress her more than help. Not sure what else I should do?

Yes very lethargic. She fights in the bath, so seems less relaxed? I guess good that she's strong enough to fight. She's not getting picked on so I've left her for now. I have a camera on them for observation.

Don't put her in bath if she's lethargic and fighting it.

Get extra Calcium Citrate+D3 into her, hopefully this will help her pass any material in the oviduct.

Don't flush inside the vent, you risk flushing material/bacteria back up into the oviduct.

Photos of her, her poop and anything she's expelled may be useful.

Work on hydration. If you saw blood with the expelled egg shell, then I'd consider getting her on an antibiotic. What do you have on hand?

 

[Shaste]

Don't put her in bath if she's lethargic and fighting it.

Get extra Calcium Citrate+D3 into her, hopefully this will help her pass any material in the oviduct.

Don't flush inside the vent, you risk flushing material/bacteria back up into the oviduct.

Photos of her, her poop and anything she's expelled may be useful.

Work on hydration. If you saw blood with the expelled egg shell, then I'd consider getting her on an antibiotic. What do you have on hand?

I added the calcium/D back 2 days ago, and I started her on amoxicillin yesterday, and gave her a little meloxicam this morning. I've been syringing fluids into her about a couple ccs every 3 hours today. Temps around 100 so really worried about dehydration. Added a little Epsom salts and vitamin/electrolyte mix at noon. She passed more shell this afternoon, and was more alert than I've seen her tonight! Scratching around a bit and ate some mush out of my hand at bedtime. Fingers crossed she'll keep improving.