[billycasper]

Hi, just looking for some advice or experience on a particular problem.
About 2 months ago one of my hens laid an egg internally and was put on antibiotics and seemed to recover well. We took her to a poultry vet last week who said she was fine but wanted to stop her laying for a while to fully recover. she gave us a tablet normally used for stopping bitches coming into season and we were asked to give a qtr of this tablet per day.. Given the hen in question hadnt laid for sometime we were surprised to see in the first 3 days of the treatment her lay 3 eggs, all either sofies, shell less  or brittle and mis-shapen..
we rang the vet who assured us this was the eggs in the hens system which needed to come out and would stop.. my question is .. is this normal? has anyone experienced such an issue? and should i stop the treatment?

[joyfull]

yes she will have needed to have got rid of those eggs first. Some vets will also give an implant to stop a hen laying (this is quite new and your vet may have to contact the bhwt for details of this) but this may mean she will never lay again.

[billycasper]

Thank you for the reply.. At least its ok.. i mistakenly assumed a hen just had one egg in the system.
it just seemed a little odd given she hadnt laid for so long.. why bother to force them out..

[joyfull]

each hen is hatched with a ribbon of eggs, and when an egg is on it's way they cannot help but try to get them out.
My hens are now coming back into lay after easing up for the winter so guess your girl is too.

[billycasper]

mmm.  forgive me for being confused.. The hen in question hadnt laid for about 6 weeks, the others in the flock have laid regularly. why would this tablet help a hen who hadnt laid and was fine.. the forcing her to lay surely isnt helping given the dangers of another internal one. I dont understand why its brought on laying when she was fine without it..
The ribbon of eggs?   are  you saying that this will continue until they have all come out?

[joyfull]

most hens go off lay or slow down over winter (usually when they are over two or if they are pure breeds then this can be younger), now that the days are getting longer they come back into lay.
The tablet that your vet has given you will act like the pill in humans - human females on the pill still have their eggs inside them but the pill stops them getting pregnant and the egg gets absorbed into the body and your hen will be the same. The eggs that she has laid will not have been able to be absorbed into her body because they will have the shells on them.

[ANHBUC]

Have a look at this website, I think it answers your question.

www.geauga4h.org/poultry/repro_tract_hen.htm

[joyfull]

Thank you ANHBUC I tried to find a diagram but couldn't see one - I was going to have to scan one from one of my books tomorrow so you have saved me a job x 

[ANHBUC]

   You are most welcome.

[billycasper]

thank you for that.. so many questions..
the hen in question hadnt stopped laying because of the winter. She has previously (as have the others) laid through out winter every other day.  The tablet seems to have started her laying and the eggs are not normal...
because she hadnt laid for so long we checked to see if there was any internally.. there wasnt.
the thought was to stop her laying to make sure .. but
While i accept that there would be eggs in the system. I cant fathom why they arnt regular or why this tablet would start her laying again. .. given the idea was to prevent further eggs... confused !!!
In my head I cant help but think that if we had just left her she would have not laid anyway..
is this making sense

[ANHBUC]

It is a case of which came first the chicken or the egg!!  You will never know if she would have laid the "faulty" eggs without you giving her the tablets. 

If her comb and wattles are large and bright red that is a good indicator that she was ready to lay again.  Not all hens stop laying over the winter, some only stop laying for a while and others for months.  They generally lay in their first winter but they are all individuals so there is no guaranteed pattern.

If you are really uncomfortable about the tablets you are best giving your vet a call and explain your concerns.  You can ask if it is safe to stop giving her the tablets.

[billycasper]

so how many eggs do you think will keep coming before she stops?? is was only supposed to be a ten day course...  I did ring the vet but i guess i was after reassurance that it was normal. .. thanks for your replies

[ANHBUC]

The problem with most medicines prescribed for poultry is that it is for other animals.  There is not enough research done for them to be specifically for poultry.  I think it isn't viable for them as poultry are so cheap and replaceable in the farming industry.  It is down to a vets knowledge and experience over the years that we all rely on.  It is not an exact science which can be frustrating as we all do our best for our poultry.

[billycasper]

Thats a good point,
I hope in time that changes with demand.
 I do trust the vet, they are poultry vets who know what they are doing. it just seemed "wrong" and went against my initial instincts which bred doubt. .. i shall continue with the course.
thank you again

[JaK]

Sorry if it's already been said (I've not read all the replies). Feeding a wheat only diet can put hens off lay too.