Topic: Egg bound??

[BarbaraGood]

We have 4 Ross Hybrids, all good layers even tho they have been with us for 3 weeks, we have been getting 3-5 eggs daily for over a week now, and 1-2 daily from day 6!

All seem happy, healthy apart from one who does tend to lay the HUGEST eggs (bigger than my left over shop bought large freerange ones!) She has not laid since Thursday as far as we can tell, and that was massive. One of them laid a shell-less one (could have been her?) the following day but since then we have had the usual 2-3 small eggs from the other girls.

She was sitting under the nesting boxes on a pile of straw yesterday so DH went in to move her in case she was trying to lay there, or was broody but nothing to see and he was concerned enough this morning to bring her inside and sit her in a box with straw and warm water bottle. She is now in a warm water bath in the utility room sink  ::)

Is there anything other than a well lubricated finger up the vent? I don't think we have any rubber gloves  :o

She simply can't perish, which seems to be a likely outcome if we don't sort her out soon  :( My nephew (4) adopted her as his own when we first brought her home, named her "Boris", I made him an adoption certificate and a poster with photos of her on it- he, and we would be devastated!!

[northener]

Thats what i did with one of our girls warm soapy bath every day and keep her warm. I don't think you should be probing with a finger anyway just lube around the vent. Ours recovered and shes still laying hope yours does.

[Marymary]

One of my old girls lays HUGE eggs & sometimes it seems to take her several days to do it - I have worried about her in the past but she has always sorted herself out.  I'm sure you are doing everything that can be done - what's really improtant is that the egg doesn't break inside her - or so I've read.

Good luck & let us know how Boris does.

[BarbaraGood]

Thanks folks, DH is now wondering if she is broody?? She is eating and drinking ok so he has dried her off and taken her back down to the hen house. Will keep you posted (with pics of the mega-egg if we get one  ;D)

[Marymary]

Just another thought - I don't know about Ross Hybrids specifically but most hybrids don't do broody much - they've had it bred out of them.  Mine have never been broody though my bloody bantams seem to be permanently like little tea cosies - little cluckers.  :)

[OliveOil]

When hybrids come into lay their eggs can be very erratic - ours would lay 100g egg one day and a 20g marble the next with the odd soft shell thrown in too.  It would be very unlikely broody as hybrids dont generally have that instinct.

As long as she is eating and drinking and alert I wouldnt worry.

When you first get chooks you worry about everything - I DID! Now i just let em get on with it.

[BarbaraGood]

Thanks again all - to clarify, I am not worrying but Dr Doolittle (aka my husband ::)) is  ;D the stench of the chicken plus its straw bedding was enough to make me want to turf it out after 20 minutes !!

No signs of any ill health today, I reckon she was sulking. Short of putting CCTV in there, I don't think we can see whats going on much more, so will let nature take its course!!