[elainehas3hens]

Hi.. all has been well for my ex-bats since they got their freedom a year ago. But now I have a problem I'm really not sure how to deal with.
Edna (who was top chicken) started to have problems laying her eggs about 2 weeks ago. She seemed to have one stuck and then it was as if she had laid but there was no egg. In fact I have had no eggs at all for 2 weeks from any of them. At first I thought that next doors puppy had unsettled them but yesterday unearthed something worse.
When I let them into the run in the morning they were a little cautious coming out of their house, then Edna turned and went back into the nest quickly followed by Valerie. Edna settled to lay then when she moved just as she was going to expel her egg Valerie pecked her vent area and burst the egg !! (Edna's eggs are thin shelled). I shooed Val out and locked Edna in on her own but investigated through the hatch. There was egg yolk on the nest but nothing else. Edna has not been right since, probably as she has egg stuck inside her. I kept her away from the other two for most of the day but as soon as I put them back together Valerie stalked Edna.
It seems to me that Val is eating the eggs but even worse is making Edna ill. I did try putting a blown egg filled with mustard in the nest and Val swooped on it had a good old peck and obviously didnt like the mustard but still wont leave Edna alone.
PLEASE DOES ANY ONE HAVE SOME ADVICE ??

[bantam novice]

Hello Elaine,

Battery hens will often lay soft or misshapen eggs at the end of their laying life.  You seem to have two issues to deal with here:

Firstly you need to make sure that Edna is not retaining bits of egg and yolk.  She could get egg-yolk peritonitis and that has a poor prognosis.  It may be worth sitting Edna in a warm bath of water and letting her relax in it.  This may enable her to expell any bits that have got stuck.  You will need to keep an eye on her and if she starts to look under the weather she may need a trip to the vet.

Secondly you need to deal with Val the egg-eater.  It seems that she has caught on to eggs being edible.  To be honest I am not an expert; however I think that you have been right to separate them temporarily.  The thing is that hens are flock animals and don't do well on their own so it is not a long-term solution.  I don't know if a beak bit would help?

I'm sure someone more expert will be along to advise you.  In the meantime good luck and keep us posted. 

[elainehas3hens]

Thanks for your reply, it's much appreciated.
I did try to sit Edna in a warm bowl of water yesterday but she wasn't very co-operative ! I'll give it another go today. I just hope my vet knows about hens 
Once again thanks for the advice. I will keep you posted.