A Concerning Egg Lay

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chris453

In the Brooder
Jul 15, 2020
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Tonight when I went out to close up the coop, I walked in on one of my females was jerking back and forward with her head down towards her body. It looked like she was having a seizure or choking so I was checking her out but then she just dropped an egg right on my lap. She seemed really dazed afterward and didn't move when I approached her again. And earlier this evening she seemed completely fine.

I tried searching it up but couldn't find anything. This is her first year laying and they have been laying since late February (had to use a heat lamp and it kick-started their laying season) so this wasn't her first egg but this is the first time I've actually seen them lay so I don't know if this happened before.

Is this normal for the first year? should I supplement something in their feed to make laying easier? I haven't supplemented calcium yet (waiting for stock to refill) but the egg seemed normal with a complete firm shell
 
chris453 said:
Tonight when I went out to close up the coop, I walked in on one of my females was jerking back and forward with her head down towards her body. It looked like she was having a seizure or choking so I was checking her out but then she just dropped an egg right on my lap. She seemed really dazed afterward and didn't move when I approached her again. And earlier this evening she seemed completely fine.

I tried searching it up but couldn't find anything. This is her first year laying and they have been laying since late February (had to use a heat lamp and it kick-started their laying season) so this wasn't her first egg but this is the first time I've actually seen them lay so I don't know if this happened before.

Is this normal for the first year? should I supplement something in their feed to make laying easier? I haven't supplemented calcium yet (waiting for stock to refill) but the egg seemed normal with a complete firm shell
Click to expand...
What type of hen? Chicken?
 
I would definitely get them some calcium to use if they need it asap. Every duck is an individual so my girls are possibly odd, but they consumed quite a bit of oyster shell whenever they started laying. If you're having trouble finding oyster shell, you can crush up their egg shells and offer that back as a calcium supplement on the side at all times (anytime they also have access to water). Have they been laying at night? I didn't use any lighting so I'm unsure about that. As a new layer, she's probably still getting the hang of laying. It probably does feel odd to them and takes a moment to get back to normal life. I've witnessed my chickens laying (I know it's different than a duck) on many occasions and right after laying some will just stand there like a statue for at least a minute or two before they get back to normal. I'd just keep an eye on her. Does her vent look OK?
 
The only time I've witnessed my duck laying an egg, I was carrying her to their fenced yard. She was very quiet for a while. Once I realized what we dropped, everything made sense.

Is there a very obvious size difference in the egg she laid just now? If so, please take a picture and post it. I suspect this is just her laying, but the experts will be on in a few hours. I wish you the best. I LOVE Runner Ducks but don't have any of that breed in my duck flock. They look so fun. I imagine it's fun to just sit back and watch them
 
HeatherKellyB said:
I would definitely get them some calcium to use if they need it asap. Every duck is an individual so my girls are possibly odd, but they consumed quite a bit of oyster shell whenever they started laying. If you're having trouble finding oyster shell, you can crush up their egg shells and offer that back as a calcium supplement on the side at all times (anytime they also have access to water). Have they been laying at night? I didn't use any lighting so I'm unsure about that. As a new layer, she's probably still getting the hang of laying. It probably does feel odd to them and takes a moment to get back to normal life. I've witnessed my chickens laying (I know it's different than a duck) on many occasions and right after laying some will just stand there like a statue for at least a minute or two before they get back to normal. I'd just keep an eye on her. Does her vent look OK?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the replies!
I assume most of them lay throughout the night, I let them out at 7am and usually only one duck is still nesting and the others are done (I have 7 layers)
I did a quick glance at her vent and it was dilated a bit which is expected but will definitely do another look again in the morning.
I'll definitely add some eggshells tomorrow! thanks for the advice! My feed store has always been out of stock on oyster shells, but after this incident I'm picking up a calcium carbonate-grit mixture for them
 

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