New layer - slab sided eggs and watery whites.

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serama mamma

serama mamma

Songster
Mar 6, 2015
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I have a GLW and she started laying a few weeks ago. Her first egg was a double yolker, she has had a ghost egg (had a yolk), and generally was laying daily, or close to. Then she had a slab sided egg. I know it was her because she's my only brown egg layer so far. We have a 8x10 run, 4x8 coop, with a total of 6 full sized pullets, and one 15 oz serama hen - she's the boss. They are fed Nutrena laying crumbles. And they are on grass, free ranging in the evenings. But they are in a tractor.

So she has had two slab sided eggs, both had very watery whites, and then both yolks had half of them being marbled with creamy white in it. We got her at three weeks old. And a week later, we brought in the other babies. No one has been sick. And everyone gets along.

Is there something wrong? Or is this something that is a pullet thing that she'll grow out of? Are the eggs safe to eat?
 
Do they have access to supplemental calcium (oyster shells) in a separate dish from their pellets? Shell less or soft shell eggs can occur due to not enough calcium.

I really don't know what to tell you about the marbled yolk. That one is new to me.
 
The shells aren't soft at all. They're actually very hard - I'm so pleased with the shells I've been getting from them. We put oyster shell in there a few days before they started laying because the serama was in there laying eggs. It is separate from the feed.
 
Still might be good to offer oyster shells on the side in a separate container.
Some birds need more than in the layer feed, not only for hard shells but the contractions that move the egg 'down the pipe'.

Might want to boost her protein a bit too....layer feed is usually about 16% protein, minimum for their needs....
....and if you're feeding any other foods or treats, she may not be getting enough protein.

Could be she has some kind of malfunction.....
.....or could just be she's still getting the system smoothed out, it can take a month or so.

I would think they are safe to eat.
 
Thank you very much! We keep oyster shell in her free feed but I will make sure she gets a bit more protein cause we feed treats too.
 
serama mamma said:
Thank you very much! We keep oyster shell in her free feed but I will make sure she gets a bit more protein cause we feed treats too.
Click to expand...
Maybe I'm misunderstanding but...don't mix the oyster shell into the feed itself, it should be in a separate container always available.

My Feeding Notes: I like to feed a 'flock raiser' 20% protein crumble to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.
 
It is in a separate container. We have dried mealworms will they do protein too? Or are they just not really good for them to eat for protein. I am sorta a newbie to raising chickens.
 
They do get a lot of scraps too - garden scraps, bread sometimes, and they get to free range in the evenings. They are on grass, in their tractor that we move every couple of days. Our Nutrena laying crumbles are 16%. So with that and the scraps, I wonder if she isn't getting enough protein. Here's to hoping that she works it out and gets back to laying normal eggs. She was laying normal ones, and almost every day. Now I get maybe two a week and usually one is slab sided. Our days are getting shorter though too. AND I have one girl in there who lays just a yolk and white, while she is on the roost at night. It's tough being a new layer! Poor things! The rest of the eggs are perfect though. So can't complain. I just worry about them. Thank you so much!
 
Whenever there's any question about production and nutrition,
I always suggest cutting out all foods other than a balanced chicken ration, and the separate oyster shells, for a few weeks to see if that makes a difference.

Do they just 'free range' in the tractor during the evening or are they in there all the time?
Stress can cause funky eggs and crowding is stressful.
 

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