Chicken laid two halves of an egg

[BravoCluckhouse]

Went out to the coop this morning to find this under a roosting bar. The two halves don’t match up, and they each had yolks.

Any thoughts on what may be causing this/happening? The chickens are new layers. We have them on layer mash and have mixed in oyster shell with the food.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

It looks like one egg ran into another in the reproductive tract. Not super unusual for a new layer. However…I would caution against mixing oyster shell into anything let alone layer feed. If you’re feeding layer your pullets should be getting all the calcium they need. Oyster shell, when offered, should be offered free choice in a separate dish so the hen can choose how much she eats. It won’t have any short term effects that I’m aware of but long-term it’s not a good idea especially if you have heritage breeds or a mixed flock.

 

[BravoCluckhouse]

It looks like one egg ran into another in the reproductive tract. Not super unusual for a new layer. However…I would caution against mixing oyster shell into anything let alone layer feed. If you’re feeding layer your pullets should be getting all the calcium they need. Oyster shell, when offered, should be offered free choice in a separate dish so the hen can choose how much she eats. It won’t have any short term effects that I’m aware of but long-term it’s not a good idea especially if you have heritage breeds or a mixed flock.

Oh good to know! We had mixed it in because we had gotten a few soft shelled eggs. We’ll switch to offering it up separately. Thanks for the advice!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Soft shelled eggs can be normal when they first start laying. If it is consistent then it’s a problem but with new layers all kinds of quirky things can happen