Chicken laying “fairy eggs”

[lalunaharvest]

ah thank you!

 

[aart]

hi!
So my black sex link chicken who just turned a year old has been laying small “fairy eggs” with yolks and also small pill shaped eggs that also have yolks in them. She has been acting very odd and distant from the flock. She lets me pick her up and she is still eating! What could this possibly be? All my others are laying and started months ago!

No they havnt, I did recently move there coop to a bigger one.im guessing maybe stress? but its been going on all spring before the move. She’s my favorite chicken so it’s concerning

Welcome to BYC...sorry you're having troubles.
Usually when only one bird in a flock is laying 'bad' eggs,
it's the bird not the diet or environment.
It's very hard to diagnose what might be causing the odd eggs,
all of them have yolks and good shells but are just very small?
Did she previously lay 'normal' eggs?
The acting odd and isolating from the flock is a pretty good indication of not 'feeling well'.
Did she not let you pick her up before...and now she does?

 

[lalunaharvest]

Welcome to BYC...sorry you're having troubles.
Usually when only one bird in a flock is laying 'bad' eggs,
it's the bird not the diet or environment.
It's very hard to diagnose what might be causing the odd eggs,
all of them have yolks and good shells but are just very small?
Did she previously lay 'normal' eggs?
The acting odd and isolating from the flock is a pretty good indication of not 'feeling well'.
Did she not let you pick her up before...and now she does?

She has laid normal eggs last year and stopped for the winter and now she is laying all the “odd” eggs! She let me pick her up before with a struggle now I just can walk up and pick her up

 

[redranger209]

Amelia it’s not the breed that makes the eggs dark, it’s the size. Same amount of pigmentation across a smaller area.

 

[redranger209]

That’s for bsl birds, maranz do have normal size dark eggs.

 

[aart]

She has laid normal eggs last year and stopped for the winter and now she is laying all the “odd” eggs! She let me pick her up before with a struggle now I just can walk up and pick her up

What and how exactly are you feeding?

Sexlinks being high production hybrids are more susceptible to reproductive system issues, tho they usually don't manifest until 2-3 yo.

You might want to isolate her for observation and assessment.
I'd isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so you can closely monitor her intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and her poops. Feel her abdomen for squishy or hard
swelling.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.