14 month old hen dropping soft shelled eggs from roost

[path.otto]

This is the 5th egg I have found today. I've taken photos after the hens have bedded down and I think I know from the location of the egg and hen which one is doing it.

This is new behavior, they are not pullets, been there - understand the process for new egg layers. This is happening in a hen that has been a regular layer. I provide additional calcium in the form of egg shells and oyster shell calcium.

During the first heat spell at the end of May I moved them from their run to a fenced area under trees providing their old Eglu coop with nest box. They appeared to use that nest box but I noticed some hens pacing near the gate like they wanted out. I assumed they wanted their usual nest box and I tested it by taking one hen to their regular coop and nest box and she dropped an egg almost immediately. I moved them back to their coop at night to sleep.

It was a few days after this, when cooler weather had returned, and they were back in their regular run when the behavior started. I did not move them during this past weekend's heat wave because I didn't want to add more stressors.

Another thing, I had been getting eggs that were rougher in texture with a darker pigmentation in a circle on one end. This egg was coming from one hen and I haven't seen one since the soft shelled eggs started. I assume it is the same hen but I have no proof.

All of the hens are acting normally, BUT, as another stressor, another adult chicken has been added to the flock at the beginning of June. She is probably higher in the pecking order than the chicken I believe is dropping the soft shelled eggs but I haven't seen her picking on the other chickens.

Sorry for long post but I wanted to give you the information I have.

My question! What should I be looking for health-wise? I don't want to assume this is just stress-related. Thanks, in advance, for your consideration of my windy post!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally shell less eggs are from stress. Heat will affect shell quality too if your hens are panting. I generally go by behaviors when determining if a bird is unwell. Sick birds stop laying completely usually, they don't eat and drink normally and they hang back looking sleepy.

 

[aart]

My question! What should I be looking for health-wise? I don't want to assume this is just stress-related. Thanks, in advance, for your consideration of my windy post!

Good post, well written and detailed info always appreciated here!

I'd give her an all over exam, looking for bugs and belly swelling.
It could be the heat and/or stress of new bird, could be that new bird brought some disease with it that is not overtly apparent(but maybe shell prob started before that?).

Some birds just have wonky shell glands and/or do not uptake all nutrition well enough to form good shells. I culled one like that a few weeks ago, all her eggs broke in nest and created some chaos. I tried calcium supps and vitamins to no avail. I did not necrospy her. Have another that consistently lays rough eggs with borderline shell thickness.

 

[path.otto]

Thanks, Oldhen and aart for your replies. I did check her belly for swelling and it felt like every other hen's belly, although my reading suggests she is at risk for peritonitis. The new/old bird is the one I introduced earlier this spring. She had been hanging around the flock for nearly a year so I don't think it is a disease from her.

The fact that everyone was laying hard shelled eggs up until the heat, moving and introduction stressors (which The Chicken Health Handbook refers to as medium stressors) doesn't feel like infectious disease to me at this point.

I bought some calcium citrate with D3 because #azygous mentioned in a post that it is more bio-available. I bought the "petite" pills but how in the heck am I supposed to get them down her? She turned up her nose when I crushed one and mixed it in cat food. (The other hens thought it a delicious treat ). #azygous said when she didn't have time to coddle she just put it in the back of their mouths so they had to swallow it. They seem too big for that to me.

Anyway, yesterday I didn't find a soft egg in the roost, I found it later in the nest.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

There's no shell because the egg comes out long before the shell is applied. Calcium in any form will not help that. Generally keeping stresses low so hens don't dump eggs out of fear is a better option. Sometimes there's something wrong with the actual shell gland, that you can't do anything about either.

New members in a flock is right up there with predation for stress. New members to a chicken means someone is trying to take their territory. A safe familiar place to lay is important to hens. Threats to that territory or being moved to a new one is hard on chickens. It sounds like your hen is dumping eggs and not putting the energy into producing a shell.

 

[path.otto]

@oldhenlikesdogs, I just saw your reply, thank you, and, I agree, all those stressors happened to her. It has now been over a month and for the first time yesterday I saw her in distress, standing still, not going out with the other hens to forage, eyes closed, tail down. I assumed she was having difficulty passing a soft egg and when I went to check on her at 10 last night the egg (membrane broken, huge yolk) had passed.

I'd done some research yesterday and came upon an old post on The Classroom @ the Coop from 2004:

http://www.the-coop.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=15248&page=1

I'm going to try Sandy C.'s supplement of calcium (I'm using citrate with D3 and crushing it), cod liver oil, honey and vitamin A, D & E powder. You mix that with a little rolled oats. I gave it to her for the first time this morning and she gobbled it up. I figure it can't hurt. I'll try that for a week or so.

If that doesn't work then I will talk to my vet. He isn't an avian specialist but he has had chickens for several years, in fact, he has my surprise rooster.

Keeping my fingers crossed. Today was 93 with a real feel of 119. I spent most of the day making sure the girls weren't too stressed. A storm just went through and temps are down in the 70s. Whew!