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Daisy is Ill; Egg Broke Inside Her

3 August 2010

Daisy is Soaking in the Laundry Tub

Daisy had an egg break inside her and it has made her sick. It is hard to know what exactly caused this. Something has gone wrong with her “egg-making machine”. She was always a good layer. She was the first of our flock to begin laying eggs at 5 months.

What’s Wrong With this Hen?

Last week I found her with her head drooping down facing the corner. She didn’t eat or drink but was able to join the others on the roost inside in the evening. This went on for another day. On the second day we turned her upside down. A piece of what looked liked plastic was sticking out of her vent. I pulled on it gently but it caused her discomfort. I took a picture of it (yes, folks, I did) and posted a question on the Backyard Chicken Forum, “First Emergency: What is this sticking out of my hen, and what do I do about it?” You can see the post with all the graphic pictures by going the Backyard Chickens forum and search the topic. You’ll see that it is a common problem and causes much illness and death in hens.

Backyard Chickens is a website with nearly 50,000 members (including me).

Members can post questions and answers. Everything I’ve learned about chickens, I learned on this site. Kind of like, “Chicken lovers helping chicken lovers”. They were quick to advise me and give me support.

Turned out that daisy had an unformed egg break inside her. What I saw was the membrane inside a broken egg that had dried and gotten stuck. We would need to soften the membrane and get it out. Daisy tolerated mineral oil being put in her vent (where the egg comes out). I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how we did that. She tolerated soaking in a laundry tub full of warm water. She tolerated have the membrane pulled from her body. She tolerated being dried with a hair dryer. And, finally, she rather enjoyed sitting in a cage in the laundry room, under a heat lamp, warming herself.

As the sun began to set, Daisy wanted to rejoin her flock. We put her in with her sisters and she went off to roost. Hopefully, she will recover. I’m hesitant to be too hopeful. When things go wrong with the “egg-maker” it is often a chronic condition. We’re keeping a close eye on her. Daisy is a sweet, sweet, hen. I would hate to lose her.

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15 Comments to “Daisy is Ill; Egg Broke Inside Her”

  1. KarenAugust 3, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    Backyard Chickens saved my chickens life when my dog attacked her with so many helpful people and information posted. I just love your site and would <3 to get a hen cam :0) Hope you dont mind me sharing yours with my friends and family.

  2. Evelyn ZanellaAugust 3, 2010 at 10:27 pm

    Hi Neighbor – I looked at the Backyard Chicken posting you noted above. One of the comments mentioned that if your finger was too big to use to exam the vent try using your pinky finger. If you think about it the size of your finger is nothing compared to the egg as it comes out the vent. I hope all is well now with Daisy.

  3. debbieAugust 5, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    I’m glad Daisy is feeling better. Best of luck to her and you…I hope that was a one time thing.

  4. LeeAugust 7, 2010 at 5:36 am

    She’s still “under the weather” and has layed two eggs with soft and broken eggs. We’ve upped the oyster shell by having a self feed and sprinkling it in the food. Hope she improves. Sweet Daisy!

  5. LeeAugust 7, 2010 at 5:38 am

    Evelyn, I thought of that too!

  6. LeeAugust 7, 2010 at 5:42 am

    Backyard Chickens is a wonderful resource. What would we do without them! I must admit that most of my friends here in Cambria are not experts in raising chickens! Flowers yes, chickens no!

  7. GailAugust 16, 2010 at 11:29 am

    Just wondering – how’s Daisy doing? I’ve been following your posts and wondering how she fared.

  8. LeeAugust 17, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    Hi Gail. You were not the only one concerned about our dear Daisy. I just wrote a new post, updating her progress. She’s looking and feeling better, and trying her best to form a perfect egg.

  9. GailAugust 18, 2010 at 6:44 am

    I’m keeping my fingers crossed and sending you a wing and a prayer. Your experience is informative to the rest of us hen lovers so please know that the time you take to give us details is much appreciated. I, too, love BYC and have learned much from them.
    Good luck and feathered hugs all around.

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  12. HeathApril 4, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    The same thing is going on with our chicken Poofy Poof. She is at the vet and they say an egg has broken in her and it will allways be in her causing fluid to build up.that will keep her sick all the time with her body trying to fend of the foriegn invader like a constant infection. She is looking better but I’m afraid it may ultimately get her. She is a great pet my girlfriend and I have raised up and love so I hope she pulls through.

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