[Davenports]

Hetty, our very chirpy and talkative warren seemed to be laying a soft egg daily for quite a while now.  So I ensured plenty of grit, layers pellets with no treats were available. We wondered which girl it was but I caught another hen vent pecking Hetty and all of a sudden she passed a soft egg there and then. (Did that hen know she was going to lay a soft egg then?)

Today I was doing a regular check of the girls and Hetty's vent is covered in blood.  I checked her for mites and she is clear.  She is regularly laying a soft egg so I don't think she has problems there(I mean in the actual laying or an egg stuck) and she doesn't seem to have a prolapse.

So does any one have  any ideas of what could be the problem?  I can't see evidence of the blood from pecking but I have now segregated her from the other just in case.

Hope it is not too serious and can be treated as she has is a great character if be it a noisy one.  

Thanks in anticipation

[bantam novice]

Hens will peck at anything that looks red and if there is a little redness around the vent they will continue to peck.  Spraying with purple spray will conceal the colour and act as an antiseptic.

[henamoured]

Hi Davenports
Haven't been on in a while, but I've got a hybrid who has laid a few soft eggs recently - makes a bi8t of mess in the nest box if they get broken.
Although my hens have a regular supply of grit and oyster shell I've bought a bag of just oyster shell and set up a quite big but shallow plant pot with just that in... and so far no more soft shelled eggs.
I have also been putting a few drops of vitamins in the water in case it's an uptake of calcium problem rather than just getting enough calcium. Mine get a cabbage hung in a bag to peck at too most days. Hope this helps.

[Lindeggs]

...
I have also been putting a few drops of vitamins in the water in case it's an uptake of calcium problem rather than just getting enough calcium. ...

I think this is a good point that's often overlooked.  Like us, chickens need a good supply of vitamin D to allow them to absorb calcium.  And like us, an over-supply of other minerals can inhibit the uptake of calcium.  So for example an overdose of magnesium can cause trouble.

So plenty of shell grit available, a good, balanced diet, and careful supplementation of soluble vitamins would all be wise. 

[Davenports]

Last weekend Hetty went down hill rapidly - on closer inspection found she did have a prolapse.

After doning on my yellow marigolds, cleaned her up and applied pile cream externally and internally to the prolapse and pushed it back in (sorry if you are having dinner at the mo).  Unfortunately it kept coming out.  After checking her hourly and putting it back in, ended up leaving her alone as so not to stress her.

Last night she was hunched, lethargic and not even responding to any treat - I honestly thought she as was on her way out.  So to make her last night a happy one, I put her with the girls as she was pinning for them.  I left her in the enclosed area and she promptly hid under a shrub with Doris keeping her company.

This morning I tentatively opened the curtains, could see the other 8 girls but not Hetty.    So did a check of the shrubs and the area but could not find her, checked the coop and she was in the nest box.  Next thing she ran out the coop, rosey away and has been her herself all day.  Checked  her rear end and her vent area is back to normal and so sign of the prolapse.

So relieved....... 

[bantam novice]

Good news 

[Honeysuckle]

I love a happy ending