Hen keeps laying yolks only?!

[shandiane78]

So, I have a BA hen who's been a great layer in the past. She's about a year old. For the past two weeks or so, she hasn't laid at all. This is the first time she's taken a break. Well, now she's started up again...Kind of. She's laid three eggs that are small, with a membrane, no hard shell, and no whites! So, a small egg shaped yolk in a membrane. One she laid in the nest box, one on a chair in the yard, and one from the roost. Should I expect this to be one of those things that works itself out?! She spends a lot of time in the nest box lately, but hasn't laid a normal egg in quite some time.

Thanks!

 

[easttxchick]

Do you give her layer pellets and free choice oyster shell? Could be caused by a lack of calcium.

 

[Chickaholic]

Weird!! Poor thing!!

 

[shandiane78]

They have layer pellets and free choice oyster shell. I can see how low calcium would cause the soft shell, but the lack of whites makes me think something wrong with the equipment, if you know what I mean...

Thanks!

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd say her body is readjusting itself after her molt, so it's kind of like that period of time for a brand new layer. I bet she'll be back to normal within two weeks.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Is she healthy? Eating well, pooping well? Is she active, as normal?

Give her some plain active-culture yogurt, mixed with a little dry plain oatmeal so she can "grab" it. Yogurt has the extra calcium she may need. Also, give her some time to work it out. If she's healthy, eating well and pooping well, she may just need a break to get back to normal.

I know it's worrisome. I have had a hen become broody this spring -- a 10 month old who laid smaller & smaller eggs, until she stopped laying altogether. And I have another one, who laid perfect eggs from October 2009 until last month, then she started laying warty eggshells, and then a series of shell-less eggs for weeks, followed by a few hard, warty shells, and back to the shell-less eggs. It's been quite a concern for me trying to figure out what's up with her. However, I continue to be reassured by how otherwise healthy she is, in spite of this sudden turn in "egg weirdness". I'm hoping she'll get back to normal eventually.

Fingers crossed for you, too.

 

[shandiane78]

Thanks teach and feathers. She hasn't been molting. I'm not sure why she stopped laying. I give them yogurt pretty regularly. She seems healthy and active. I think you're probably right that it will just take time. Though there's always that worry that it will never resolve. Well, I guess as long as she keep laying yolks only, I can keep giving that to our chicks. It's actually kind of convenient if I want to give them egg yolk, because I don't have to worry about what to do with the whites. lol

Seriously though, I hope she gets it all worked out soon!

 

[mirandamommy]

I've had a yolk-less small egg just once, but never a white-less egg...hopefully it is just a transition time for her.

 

[shandiane78]

She laid another one today. I found it broken in the nest box. This one appeared to have some whites in it, but it's like a small soft-shelled egg with a big full-sized yolk inside:

 

[feathersnuggles]

The picture shows it might have had some white in it. ??

Anyway, if you haven't yet, I'd give that bird an emergency dose of 1 crushed Tums mixed into some plain active-culture yogurt. And mix in 1/2 teaspoon of cod liver oil (CLO), if you have it. The Tums isn't calcium carbonate, but it's easier to feed than oyster shell.

To produce egg shells, birds need a balance of vitamin D (that's in the CLO), calcium, and phosphorus. Usually the feed will have the right amount of phosphorus.

Also (and I found this out recently), make sure to keep your oyster shell dish topped off and full of oyster shell. In our flock, I was letting it get eaten down to the powder, thinking the birds would keep eating until it was gone. Wrong. I discovered they were not interested in the powder, so were skipping it and eventually one of them probably was getting somewhat deficient in calcium. She started laying rubber eggs. I don't really know what her problem was. But once I tossed out the power and refilled the dish, they ALL CHOWED DOWN on it. So I made a note to myself to keep it really full, especially during this time of year when they are laying heavily. They need lots of calcium for all those eggshells.