Cannibal Dance

[JCamp42]

Hello! This question needs a bit of context. I have (what's supposed to be?) an Australorp (Jo), but she has a rather small comb and lays light blue eggs (took me a minute to figure that one out as my flock started laying). While she has the same diet/conditions as the others, her eggs are usually rougher, have thinner skins, and sometimes odd spots on the top (though inside, they're fine). Lately, we've been getting fewer and fewer eggs from her. So today I noticed the others crowding around Jo like she was leading a meeting, and then as she walked slowly, they started walking in a close circle around her, looking from her to the ground, the troop stopped again, and the second the egg hit the ground, they went after it like a busted piñata. (It was kind of creepy, to be honest.) I know she laid outside of the box a couple of times before, but it seems this has become common enough for them to have a little ritual. None of them ever eat any of the eggs in the nesting boxes, including when Jo lays there. Has anyone seen anything like this before? Any idea why Jo's eggs are weird or why she might lay outside v. inside or how/why the others know when she's going to lay and why they eat her eggs and not others? Some sort of natural selection?

 

[LostBoi73]

How very strange. I don't know why but know I want to lol

 

[theoldchick]

She may have a defective shell gland due to genetics or an infection.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Is she new to laying? When they are new to laying they have blips in the system. I know you thought she was an australorp, but clearly isn't if she lays blue eggs; however, my australorp lays gigantic thin shelled eggs. When some of the birds go to lay in the nest box, her egg gets broke and they do eat it. She had also laid a few soft shelled eggs off the roost.
I have remedied it by adding calcium citrate with vitamin d crushed up along with the oyster shells they get. I've provided them 2 dishes of it in case she wasn't able to get to the 1 dish (she's lowest and we have 1 bully). I also sprinkle some on the ground in different areas of the run.
Shes doing much better. But, her eggs are still huge.

 

[aart]

So today I noticed the others crowding around Jo like she was leading a meeting, and then as she walked slowly, they started walking in a close circle around her, looking from her to the ground, the troop stopped again, and the second the egg hit the ground, they went after it like a busted piñata. (It was kind of creepy, to be honest.)

This cracked me up!

She's done it before, that's how they knew, it was likely a softshelled egg.
Sounds like her shelling gland might be wonky.

 

[Isadora]

She's done it before, that's how they knew, it was likely a softshelled egg.

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