What to do if egg yolk drops out of your chicken's vent?

[mhn24]

Please help- eggy yolk dropped from my chicken's vent just now when I was holding her. I didn't see any shells that came with it, but there was a soft white thing that looked like the white part of a boiled egg (except it wasn't boiled). Now my chicken refuses to eat and is just laying down in a dark corner. I brought her inside the house but it seems like she is breathing fairly hard. The feathers near her vent seem to be standing on end. Soo scared that my chicken still has part of shell inside her and will die! Had anyone every had this problem before? Please help me! I am so scared

Background info on my chicken- She is 8 months old, I got her in March. She has a broken leg that is twisted all the way back, and this happened when she was a little chick, so I am guessing its irreversible now Because of this, she barely eats and limps her way around. She is a very skinny chicken.

 

[QueenMisha]

Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you.

So sorry about your hen. You should definitely keep her segregated; regardless of other issues, many special needs birds should be kept separate lifelong. You will want to post a full write up of your issue in the "emergencies/diseases/injuries forum" for more help. From the symptoms you describe, you could be dealing with internal laying. The "boiled egg white" substance may have been a lash egg or similar item. How recently have you gotten an egg from her?

 

[redsoxs]

Here's a link to some old threads where this is discussed. Good luck to you and your hen! https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=egg+yolk+came+out

 

[Teila]

Howdy mhn24 and Welcome to BYC, I wish the circumstances in which you join us were nicer.

Anyways, I have a hen who has broken two soft shelled eggs in the laying process and she was fine both times.

The “soft white part” you saw will most likely be the soft outer shell of the egg so it sounds like she has passed some of it but may still have some stuck.

They have problems passing a soft shelled egg or remnants of a soft shelled egg because their muscles have nothing hard to grip and push.

The trick in helping her pass any remnants is to get her to relax. With my gal, I popped her in a nice warm bath. They can also pass the remaining material overnight while roosting and relaxed. So even if she does not pass it in the bath, she may overnight.

Because the egg has broken inside her, you will need to keep an eye out for infection but the laying down in the dark corner can just be her trying to expel the remainder. Can you see if she is straining or appearing to try and push it out?

Do you provide oyster shell for your hens? Hens new to laying can have some problems getting everything right ‘plumbing’ wise initially but if you continue to have soft shell issues they may be lacking in calcium.

 

[mhn24]

@QueenMisha Since she injured, she started laying eggs pretty late. She started laying eggs last Friday, if I recall well.

Thanks for the welcome and I remember this well, aren't you, like, one of the most active people?

 

[mhn24]

@Teila A while ago, it looked like she was about to poop, but now her feathers are just floofed up.
What happens when there is an infection? Will she die? I am really scared for her.
If she can't pass it, what should I do then?

Yes, we feed them oyster shells, but she barely eats, and I don't watch her a lot (I am at school most of the time). So I cannot tell how much she eats of it.

Thanks for the welcome I hope circumstances get better.

 

[mhn24]

@redsoxs Thanks for the link

 

[QueenMisha]

 @QueenMisha
 Since she injured, she started laying eggs pretty late. She started laying eggs last Friday, if I recall well.

Thanks for the welcome and I remember this well, aren't you, like, one of the most active people?

Hmm, perhaps not internal laying then, if she's only been laying that recently. Sounds like an internally broken egg may be your issue in that case. You may want to get a pair of gloves and do an internal exam to check for more eggy bits or shell fragments. And @Teila brings up a good point, the broken membrane of an egg might have a rather similar appearance to boiled egg white.

I definitely spend a lot of time on this website... perhaps too much, heh. I do my best to help people.

 

[mhn24]

@QueenMisha Wow this is so cool talking to you!
How would you do an internal exam?

 

[Teila]

Hey mhn24

Sorry that I am not able to advise on what symptoms to look for if she does have an infection. As I mentioned, on both occasions with my gal, she was fine the next morning.

If your girl does become infected, a course of antibiotics may be helpful but if you can, I would definitely seek professional help from an Avian Vet or a Vet prepared to look at chickens.

Great tip from QueenMisha in that you may be able to find some fragments on a gentle internal exam.