# Lost my first chicken



## HedwigRIP (Apr 10, 2017)

Hi all. I a chicken today, but I can't figure out why, and my of course it was one of my favorite girls. She was laying down in the run and making a lot of noise. My daughter thought she may have been laying an egg and went outside to see. She picked the chicken up and I felt her abdomen. It was soft, but she looked little like maybe she was egg bound. I did an internal check and couldn't feel an egg. Afterwards, some yellow (maybe yolk colored) fluid came out of her. While I was trying to get the sick crate set up for her, my daughter held her and the chicken was almost limp. A few minutes after putting her in the crate, she was dead. She could walk- I watched her take a few weak steps on the perch. Her eyes looked fine, but her waddle was pale. 


On another note. A second chicken was acting strangely. Sitting still for long periods of time, but she would move if I got too close to her. She ate a few meal worms, but she wasn't really interested. Then she released a shell less egg.

Are these 2 things related? What is going on with my girls? 
They are 2 years old and I have never had any health problems before.

Thank you for your help


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Welcome to the forum and sorry for your loss. It hurts badly when we lose a favorite hen. 
It sounds like she was an internal layer and had a yolk without a shell. Mass infection occured and then death. There is nothing that couldve been done if this is the case.

As far as your hen releasing a shell less egg; I've had it happen before and all the hens survived. I've even had to slowly and gently pull the soft shell out of the vent on occasion.
Ensure your birds are fed proper layer feed, provide crushed oyster shell, and also make sure they have access to sunlight.
There are other reasons, here's a link:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...dbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs/


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea, increase their opportunity to get oyster shell or calcium. I do have one chicken who goes thru phases sometimes of being uncomfortable and passing yolk or passing tiny eggs. Then she lays normal for a while. It appears that she goes to bed in the nest the night before she lays an egg. Just odd. I've also had layers that passed a shell less egg now and then.

I can't think of a connection between the 2.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I've lost a lot of favorites over 10 years. Sad every time.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Sorry for your loss!!!It's usually a favored bird.We've all been through it.Ever see a chicken actually lay an egg?They sit in the nest but when they pass the egg,they stand in a squatting position and forcefully expel the egg.That's why some eggs are broken in the nest.As long as your feeding a quality layer feed and providing calcium(crushed egg shells are a good source) your hens should be fine.Sometimes things happen that we have no control over.It's a con of chicken keeping.


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