Chicken bald back

[Eggshell]

Yesterday I noticed one of my chickens just standing in a daze for a long time; she perked up, but did it again a few times. Today she's just standing like that again, hunched, and if disturbed she just moves along slowly - a bit like someone with a dreadful headache. Eating and drinking, but without any energy. I've checked her over and I can't see anything odd, but this is the chicken who's been laying softies for a few weeks and this week hasn't laid at all. I don't know if these things are connected, and they're not very specific symptoms. Is there anything obvious that I should be looking out for/doing now? Thanks for any advice.

[Beantree]

Check for a swollen abdomen Eggshell. I know laying softies really stresses them up as we have one goes into a trance then drops a softie in the run somewhere. Her pupils dilate and she stays very still for ages. Is it possible she is still laying softies but the others are eating them? What are her poos like? Is her crop full at night and empty in the morning?

[Eggshell]

Yes, Beantree, I think you might be right about the softies. There was a bit of white mess on her feathers around the vent today, and the other chickens were pecking at it a bit, which suggests it was egg rather than poo. I've checked the abdomen and I think it probably is a bit swollen and (I think) warm too. I put a little olive oil on the vent, afetr which she quite soon laid some eggy gunk (see photo). She perked up for a moment, but is now back in the same dopey state. I've also seen her head off into the nest box twice today (no egg). Does this suggest that she's got a pile-up of eggy stuff inside? What should I do next? Thanks for advice.

[Beantree]

Sounds like it's serious Eggshell and a trip to the vet is in order. She may have an internal build up of egg yolks but it could also be an internal infection that has thrown her laying system off. A course of antibiotics may be worth a try?

 

The trigger to send them to the nest box is not the presence of an egg to be laid but the release of a yolk into the oviduct I read recently. So going into the box but laying nothing can mean the previous day's yolk missed the oviduct and went into the abdomen. This can be harmlessly absorbed and it is normal for 10% of them to end up this way. The fact that she is laying softies says to me that's not the problem in her case.

[Eggshell]

When I got up this morning she was looking better - keen to come out and free range, pecking and preening, though not as energetically as the others. She'd obviously passed some egg white along with poo overnight. However, she's starting to have patches of just standing hunched again. I don't think there are any vets around here open on a Sunday (and it doesn't help that my husband has the car away till late afternoon); what can I do for her this morning?

[Beantree]

Give her a cuddle. It can relax them a lot and quite a few times we've had eggs laid on us. Sorry I've missed the morning because we've been tidying the wood store ready for a delivery.

[Eggshell]

Thanks, Beantree. She's spent a lot of the day out free ranging - behaving pretty normally, though with rather less energy than usual. As far as I can tell she hasn't laid any egg apart from the overnight white today. Guess I just have to see what tomorrow brings. At least she's had a nice day today - though basking in the sun is more her idea of fun than being cuddled!

[Eggshell]

Just an update on Martha - for the last three days she's been looking much better. I've been giving her some fermented feed, since that's what I was doing the last time she managed to produce 'real' eggs; it may be a coincidence, but I thought it was worth a try. However, she hasn't laid again since she produced the compacted yolk-thing on Saturday, so she may be just storing up another imminent problem. Would it be possible for her spontaneously to stop laying? She's not 2 year old yet.

[Beantree]

We have a Marans who has just stopped laying at 18 months Eggshell. She moulted and then returned to the nest box daily but all she has laid in a dozen visits is one 'wind' egg. She seems perfectly healthy and has a lovely nature, so she'll be with us for a while. Perhaps she'll lay in Spring after her system has shut down over Winter?