Can someone tell me the story behind this egg?

[Branch Chickens]

I know that pullets are capable of producing all kinds of oddities, but for curiosity's sake, I'd like to know what happened with this one.

The formed shell part of it is nubbly and chalky (I'm not sure if you can see that in the pic). The rest of it is like a "rubber" egg.



The hen that laid this is just over 20 weeks old, and I believe it's her 5th egg.

 

[Kelsie2290]

That is an interesting egg. Usually just something going on with the immature shell gland in young layers, would guess it wasn't positioned right / didn't spend the correct amount of time in there for some reason or another. Two good articles on shell formation, the second one goes on about the shell gland, it is darn complicated http://www.nutrecocanada.com/docs/s...-formation-and-eggshell-quality-in-layers.pdf and http://pub.epsilon.slu.se/10894/1/wistedt_a_131121.pdf

 

[aart]

That is a strange one! The darker part is rubbery?

 

[Branch Chickens]

Yeah...or maybe rubbery isn't quite the right word. When we pushed on it, it collapsed inward but didn't break. It looks like those rubbery eggs I've seen described elsewhere, but it's just in that spot. Perfectly round. The shell is a different consistency then what we've been getting.
I'm starting to wonder if someone new laid her first egg today! We've been getting a few other eggs with imperfections, shell fused weird, etc., but this one looks a lot different.

 

[aart]

Yeah, I've never seen one quite like that....my pullets lay a couple softshellers a week..some are very soft-all membrane no shell, and some have a very very thin shell. New layers, stress factors like still working their way into the older flock..and I think some just have a propensity for weird eggs, maybe a malfunction only time will tell.

 

[Branch Chickens]

I hope it's not a malfunction.

 

[Branch Chickens]

So, our layer took a break for a few days and then laid an egg with the same malformed end. Prior to this she had laid a few (smaller) eggs where the shells were fused sort of funny (lots of fused cracks), but were otherwise normal.
Is this a wait and see situation? Do you think it is likely that her eggs will continue to be odd and unfinished? The one I found today was broken like it might have a beak hole in it, so I worry that she will start egg eating.