Unsecure chicken perches

[ashjc]

Does anyone have a clue what this may be ......

 

One of my two hens has been on and off broody for 2 months now so egg laying has been sporadic to say the least.... last week she laid an egg but on the roosting bars of the cube.. it was a egg with no shell... the next day she laid a normal egg... then for the next few days she hasnt laid... yesterday I checked the coup and just one egg from my other hen but I thought I would check the roosting area and could see something through the bars... I pulled out the tray and to my horror saw something that resembled an alien.

 

Its hard to describe but is about 3 inches long.... and looks pale pink and like a piece of internal skin... its like grissle... its definately not an egg shell.

 

My chicken appears perfectly fine, is eating and running round the garden with the other one... I am unable to catch either of them and never have unless she is broody.

 

Does anyone have a clue what this is..... is it potentially serious... if so I will have to put her through the trauma of trying to catch her.

[Tweety]

It sounds very much like a lash. There are several posts, with photos, about lashes so it might be worth searching the forum to have a look to compare with your alien.

If it is a lash, it is nothing to worry about and is better out than in!

[ashjc]

Tweety thanks... after looking at the pics on this forum and others .... yes its definately a lash... but mines alot wider than the ones in the picture... its a right beast!

 

When me and the wife were prodding it with a stick yesterday we were expecting something to burst out through the flesh like something out of aliens.

 

The threads talk about the affected hen not laying again.... has anyone else heard this?.... we only have two hens and have bought them for egg production... however my wife is deeply attached to her so she wont be having the chop!

 

I just want to make sure shes going to be OK and isnt in any pain or anything... some threads suggest the chicken will go downhill and might need to be put down. Has anyone else experienced this? I dont want her to suffer.

 

Shes eating and drinking and showed no signs of ill health.... shes just been broody twice in a matter of weeks so we put her in a broody cage.

 

Any advice would be greatly received

[Tweety]

As long as she is eating, drinking, pooing and behaving normally I wouldn't worry. I think you would be able to tell if she was in pain by her behaviour.

 

I find the odd lash now and again, although I have a lot of old ladies who are at the end of their laying careers and I guess it is only to be expected.

 

How old is your hen? It may be an age-related thing if she is getting on in years.

[ashjc]

Well thats the thing... shes not very old. She was 24 weeks when I had her and I have had her about 3 months so we are looking at about 36 weeks old

[Tweety]

What breed is she?

[ashjc]

She's a Specklady?

 

Shes grey and white feathers!

[LunaKiw1]

Lashes are gross! And really worrying the first time you find one so I was very grateful for this Forum in being able to identify what it was and that it wasn't anything to worry about. Both our two laid the occaisional lash but also then laid lovely eggs again - up until the were about two and a half and stopped laying altogether. Then we did start to get daily lashes and other signs of being poorly. A trip to the vet confirmed one had acute peritonitis and basically the lashes were actually her insides being dissolved and ejected and the other was going same way so both were PTS. So, if it is just the odd lash or two it's no problem but lots of them every day might indicate something more serious.

[Tweety]

As she's a hybrid, and so young, I'm surprised that you say she has been broody. I think it's more likely that she has been in and out of the nest box a lot because she is coming into lay rather slowly and erratically.

I have not had a Speckledy so don't speak from first hand experience, but I would have thought she should be laying fairly normally by now.

[ashjc]

Thanks Luna.... its one at the moment... and when I got home yesterday she had laid another egg, again on the roosting bars and not in the nesting box... it had fallen through the roosting bars.. its more like an egg, in the egg shape but a translucent shell, well more of a membrane... which you can see straight through and the egg inside.

 

Its like she knows its not a a proper egg so isnt laying it in the nesting box.

 

I hope she gets sorted out..... its a shame to see it happening. I dont understand why, she has really good food, free ranging, grit on tap, wormed regularly and no mites or other issues.... tonic in her water etc etc. My other chicken is a prolific layer and has laid every day bar one since I had them 3 months ago with no problems.

[ashjc]

Tweety she has broody twice since I had her... from the day I had her she was laying everyday.. both hens were for about 2 months then... she went broody the first time about 5 weeks ago and just sat in the the nesting box on the eggs... then she stopped laying... I tried to keep her out for about 5 days then put her in a dog crate for 3 days as recommended on here... it worked and after about 4 days after letting her out of the crate she started laying again for about 2 weeks, then went broody again and sat the eggs... so she had another 3 days in the cage.... again came out of being broody.. but has laid only 1 solid egg in the last 2 weeks.... 1 without a shell... then the next day the lash and yesterday another egg with just a membrane round it rather than a shell... but better than the one before with no shell.

 

Non of these have been laid in the nesting box, not even the solid egg

[Tweety]

It does sound like broodiness then, and it can take some time for them to get back into regular laying after being broody in my experience.

Does she eat the mixed grit you are providing? You could try mixing some into her layers pellets to make sure, and perhaps give her some spinach or other calcium-rich veg. You could also add crushed baked eggshell to her food. As a last resort, you could give her a calcium supplement, but I would try the others first and give her some time to recover from her broodiness.

[ashjc]

She has mixed grit and oyster shell in the run constantly but I must admit I see my other hen eating it more than her. I think I will try the spinach, and increase her greens.

 

She seems fine in herself, running round the garden so maybe she will recover from this lash and lay again in the future.