# Egg bound?



## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

A few days ago I found 2 eggs under the roost with no shell. Our black star (Starla) hasn’t laid any eggs for a few days since so we are suspecting they were hers, and both on the same day. This morning she didn’t seem well. She went to the nest box but had no success. She was standing by herself and sometimes closing her eyes. I did the research for a hen being “egg bound” and got a glove and lube ready and was going to give her the warm bath treatment. As the day has gone on, she is back to acting normal and is eating and drinking just fine. She is 3 and a half years old. I’m holding off on sticking my finger in for now. Can symptoms come and go with this problem? Any advice?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yes, they can. When they've got eggs backed up in their bodies it gets very uncomfortable. Once they are able to lay them they can go back to normal. 

It's possible she's moving into the non egg laying phase of her life. What is she getting for calcium because I would recommend upping her calcium intake to try to avoid any more shelless eggs. There is a liquid calcium for goats called Calciboost. You can try giving her that for a few days.


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## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

robin416 said:


> Yes, they can. When they've got eggs backed up in their bodies it gets very uncomfortable. Once they are able to lay them they can go back to normal.
> 
> It's possible she's moving into the non egg laying phase of her life. What is she getting for calcium because I would recommend upping her calcium intake to try to avoid any more shelless eggs. There is a liquid calcium for goats called Calciboost. You can try giving her that for a few days.


Thanks! I'll get some!


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## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

junebugs said:


> Thanks! I'll get some!


I just did the oiled gloved finger and didn't feel an egg inside. It must be something else that is bothering her.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You said she was feeling better. 

If she starts internally laying there isn't anything that can be done for her other than spaying or hormones to stop the egg production.


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## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

We found out what was wrong with Starla, but unfortunately, we figured it out after we lost one of our pullets. While I checked Starla and a couple of hens for telltale signs of mites, I hadn’t totally examined the coop. I scoop the poop in the small sleeping coop daily and I can’t believe I never noticed an infestation. As i disassembled the roosts i found their hiding places. I totally cleaned a scrubbed with all sorts of concoctions and spread diatomaceous earth. Tonight I went out with a flashlight and was shocked to find mites on the perches. I can imagine what it was like before I cleaned! Luckily today I ordered elector pc from Amazon and it’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. It’s gotten good reviews and is non toxic to chickens. Unfortunately it is super expensive and doesn’t come in small quantities.


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## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

I never saw any mites on the hens during the day so it was a mistake to not check at night.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mites can be deadly tiny things. And they seem to target the weakest first. 

You didn't have to order whatever that stuff is that you ordered. You could get a premise spray at the feed store, sevin dust, and even some products of Frontline are permethrins and safe to use. 

DE is useless as a miticide so don't count on it to do much.


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## junebugs (May 16, 2017)

robin416 said:


> Mites can be deadly tiny things. And they seem to target the weakest first.
> 
> You didn't have to order whatever that stuff is that you ordered. You could get a premise spray at the feed store, sevin dust, and even some products of Frontline are permethrins and safe to use.
> 
> DE is useless as a miticide so don't count on it to do much.





robin416 said:


> Mites can be deadly tiny things. And they seem to target the weakest first.
> 
> You didn't have to order whatever that stuff is that you ordered. You could get a premise spray at the feed store, sevin dust, and even some products of Frontline are permethrins and safe to use.
> 
> DE is useless as a miticide so don't count on it to do much.


Why do so many recommend DE? Does it do anything at all?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Because they believe the hype. I've investigated DE several times in my years raising these guys. What I looked for was scientific papers that confirm what is being said. So far, I haven't found one. 

You can get the same results with sand. The birds dust bathe in it and it helps remove the mites that are bothering them. Some add ash to their dust holes. I haven't checked that one out but it makes sense that mites would have trouble surviving getting wood ash all over them. 

Here's an example of hype. While not mites it's along the same lines. People swear by some wormers that claim to be all natural. Problem is, they didn't test first to make sure they even had an issue so there's no real confirmation there. Because of a paper I read about horses many years ago and their relationship to internal parasites I decided to experiment with my birds. I haven't wormed in 8 or 9 years. My oldest bird died at 14 last year, my next oldest died at 12 two years ago.


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