# Egg Problems w/ Possible IB



## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

This is a long story, but I'll try to stick with the important points. Any questions / ideas would be VERY welcome...

Our Flock:
We adopted 6 former organic-industry layers (red sex links) about 2 years ago. We don't know their exact ages, but were told that they were about 2 years old when we got them, so that would make them about 4 years old.

History:
I believe we had a round of IB about a month-and-a-half ago. I treated as recommended (antibiotics to prevent other infections) and made the hens comfortable. All came through fine EXCEPT I have one hen that started laying very thin-shelled eggs that would dent on their way out. That progressed to no-shells (membrane still intact though) and for about a week she has only been laying the egg yolk and white with no covering whatsoever.

What I've done recently:
This is her only symptom - she's happy, energetic, mischievous...
I've been giving her oral calcium (Calcium Gluconate, 23% solution, 1cc/day) along with a drop of vitamin D (2000IU/5 drops) every day. I read somewhere recently that calcium every day is not a good idea, so I was going to try every other day and didn't give her any last night.

Now:
This morning she didn't come out of the coop with the rest - just sat, puffed up, tail down, on the roost. I went out again with the calcium in hopes that it would do something, and she was in the nesting box, laying her shell-less egg. (The others were pretty excited about it, and have apparently gotten used to this process because it's as though they were waiting for their morning protein punch.) When I gave her the calcium (dropped in her mouth) she took it but was very lethargic and didn't strain to get down and run around like she usually does.

Fast forward a couple of hours, she's out with the others, scratching and investigating like normal - tail raised, not puffed up anymore. She is moving slower than the others but she's moving around consistently. You wouldn't know anything was wrong with her if you didn't see her on a normal basis.

Other Notes:
The hens are on a layer feed, 17% (organic)
They have access to calcium (oyster shells and their own shells) at all times.
They are in the sun daily.
They're given fresh, clean water daily.
They were wormed (preventative) a little over a month ago.

I am assuming that this problem is related to the IB (and I'm 90% sure that's what it was). The closest chicken vet is a LONG way away, and I don't have the funds for that first visit, never mind treatments. I'm hoping that the internet will help with this, but I'm finding very little.

Help?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Hi and welcome! I've only known chickens to lay an occasional shell less egg. One of mine had passed 2 shell less eggs one time and was looking sick, I gave her antibiotics and it stopped. But a year later, here, and I believe she's laying tiny eggs. 
I gave antibiotics because it can be easy for a hen to get an E.coli infection up to her ovaries, and couldn't think of anything else to do. I would think that adopting older layers -they would be more prone to it. Is her abdomen soft?


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

4 y/o RSL , she's probably burnt out.


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## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

Thanks so much...
Her abdomen is not enlarged, squishy, soft or anything different from the others. Her crop is a little less full than the rest but not feeling hard or squishy. She's up and running around with the rest, although still a little slower than the others. I am curious - was it the calcium that got her going this morning? or was it a coincidence? 

Antibiotics: I had thought about it but she already had a round of antibiotics when they had the IB (Tylan) and I don't want to over-do that. 

I am thinking right now that if it's age or just a hereditary problem it's just a matter of time before it kills her. I know that hens can take months, even a year, to completely recover from IB, so I was hoping we could just wait it out. Seems like I'm going to have to be really consistent with the calcium/Vitamin D3 cocktail... maybe for the rest of her life. She's too special to just let go... she's a pet at this point and if she's not in pain we're going to keep her going as best we can.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

Hello, there may be a few options, and there are a number of respiratory diseases which show the same symptoms but require different treatments. Viral diseases remain present even after symptoms are remedied, leaving carrier birds who can spread the virus to any new introductions to the flock. You may be aware of that, but thought I would mention it. If you want to prolong the hen's life, I understand. Just know you shouldn't add new birds to the flock or hatch any eggs from that flock if the problem is Infectious Bronchitis. Who diagnosed the hen as having Infectious Bronchitis?


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Antibiotics, including tylan are ineffective against Infectious Bronchitis (IB) because it is a virus, not a bacterial infection. Typical signs of IB are wrinkled eggs and watery whites. IB can pass quickly through a flock and may not even be noticed by the owner, only a sneeze or two from a couple of chickens...depending on the severity of the strain.
I'm with Nm156 on this one. Red sex links tend to slow down egg laying at about two years, four years is abit of a stretch and her egg laying machinery cant make perfect eggs no more. I've owned a few of them over the years.


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## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

1. I know that antibiotics won't kill viruses. I read a lot of advice suggesting antibiotics to hit anything bacterial that might attack due to the immunity system being compromised (by the IB).
2. I am also aware that I shouldn't introduce new hens for at least 5 months, probably a year to be safe. This was never my plan. 
3. I don't know for sure that what they had was specifically IB. But they were all showing 1-2 symptoms (different in each chicken) that all pointed that direction. A vet is not an option for me, so I am definitely trying to do the impossible by diagnosing using the internet, but it's the only option I have.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

The only other option I could recommend would be to have a necropsy done to be sure what you are dealing with. Here is a list of labs by state you could contact for advice:
https://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/AuthorizedLaboratories1-7-2015.pdf


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## LemongrassMichelle (Apr 23, 2016)

She's not dead yet. However, when she does pass I will definitely consider that

Someone mentioned that she's probably getting too much calcium, and that makes sense. Except for that when I withdrew the calcium, she got sick. And when I gave it back to her yesterday she improved. In fact, she's back to her old self today. So I won't do that again…

Whatever the problem is, it's obvious that she is not absorbing the calcium that she does get.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

It sounds like you are covering all the bases. I think you've done the best you can . And you are right on top of it.


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