Creepy Soft Shell Egg...is this one normal? Take a look...

[lollimama]

Tonight I had two chickens fighting over the nest box - one has been trying to sleep in it for a few nights so we've been putting balls in them. My husband went out to close up the coop and found two birds in the nest box refusing to budge! He kicked them out and put the balls in. Then I went out to find them both crammed in there, with the balls on top of each other! And low and behold my poor girl Rosie had laid this super creepy soft shelled egg!!!...YUCK!! It's like a sack of goo or something and it has a tail! What the heck? Is that normal? She's not been laying for about 1 month, been molting I'm pretty sure. I keep hearing about soft shell eggs but has anyone seen one with a tail like this? At the very end of the tail it looked like egg white. My boys were thoroughly entertained and sufficiently grossed out!!

This is the nest box situation:

Currently my husband is soaking the egg in salt water to see if it will demonstrate osmosis for the kids....what a weirdo. Sheesh.

 

[top of the hill]

Wow, that is creepy! Although im pretty sure totally normal. One of my girls laid the same squishy egg tonight (minus the tail) .love that your DH has turned this into a science lesson!

Hopefully someone can offer some advice on the nesting box situation.

 

[lucyboo]

i hatched one chick (RIP baby Luna) and when she came out she had that unbiligle cord thing on her butt but it fell off. i know your girls probably are too young for babies and shouldnt be laying stuff like that lol but it was probably the first egg and was just different! i wouldnt be worried about it but maybe and hopefully someone else can be of more asistance to you!!! Good luck and God bless!!!

<3 kelsey

 

[lollimama]

Ha! That's the first thing I thought of was an umbilical cord...that's totally what it looked like although we don't have any roosters or anything. She's actually my 'old lady' who is 2 years old so she was laying previously and we just haven't had any action from her in about a month now. This was the first egg in at least 4 weeks! Maybe she's just getting back into the swing of things. We did add a light to the coop about a week ago...??

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

I read on here somewhere that hens actually shed their ovaries and it looks just like that 1st pic!
For the life of me I cant remember which thread it was!

 

[michelle89]

Why don't you want the chickens to sleep in the nesting boxes? I've only had my chickens since April and they've been laying eggs since Labor day. (No joke!) Curious minds want to know!!

 

[Zonoma]

Quote:
Mostly because chickens poop when they sleep. A lot. Poop and eggs don't mix. If they sleep/poop in the egg boxes, the eggs get covered in the stuff and it is NASTY (with a capital N).

 

[lollimama]

Quote:
Yes....I looked it up but couldn't find any pictures. That's so strange, a little concerning and definatly a bummer if true. I also saw some posts about eggs with umbilical cords attatched and the pictures of those I saw matched this strange egg. I don't have the guts to break it open but I'm SURE DH and the boys will not be able to resist tomorrow

She is happy and perky otherwise. The only other things is that we've had her on duramycin for 7 days now for a runny nose and sneezing (which seem to be better now). We didn't expect to be eating eggs for a while becuase of that anyway so we'll just watch and see what happens I guess! This poor chicken has been through a lot since we got her so i'm not suprised at all to get a weird egg from her.....

And on the nest box sleeping habits, I've been digging poop out of them the past few nights from lucile (18 weeks, not yet laying, in the picture with Rosie). She's a stinker. She just doesn't want to roost with anyone else - we have a coop that would fit 6 easily, and only 3 hens in it right now and they all roost on different bars! Such girls.

 

[Nic&Chickies]

I also remembered seeing that thread awhile back, so I did a search using "shed reproductive". A lot talking about sheds converted to coops,and not the one I recall seeing, but I did find this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=557425 Note: It's an ICKY one --graphic

 

[Dora'smom]

I have had one bird lay something that looked somewhat like your picture. She was fine, and went on laying for some time after, but eventually reproductive issues got her. I don't know that that is always the case, but I would make sure they are getting enough calcium in their diets, and keep an eye on her.