Egg laying problems

[LadyRogue]

I have a black copper Marans that's about 6-7 months old that will sometimes lay an egg each day for 2-3 days... But then she'll skip 2-3 days. When this happens she will lay a white banded egg, and ANOTHER egg shortly afterwards which has a quite thin shell and sometimes has cracks just from the laying process or from just getting bumped into the first egg.

Anyone have any ideas as to what is causing this problem?

She's on normal layer feed and has supplemental grit and oyster shells freely available.

 

[aart]

@LadyRogue
Did this problem just start or has she always done this?
How long has she been laying??

Are you feeding any other foods/treats?
Do you have other birds that are laying well?

 

[LadyRogue]

She started laying probably around 22ish weeks. I didn't know her precise age when I bought her. Merely "about 4 weeks"

She started laying shortly after I got her and she occasionally had broken eggs, but I assumed they were breaking when she laid them because she continually would kick all the nesting material out of the nest box and lay the egg on bare plywood. I got Aspen pads and that seemed to help, but I would get the occasional white banded egg that I didn't realize WAS a problem. I thought they were neat tie dyed eggs.

More recently, maybe the last 4-6 weeks she's started laying the two eggs with the second one having that thin shell.

I WAS feeding her, and my other two girls, Australorps, tomato scraps from my garden every time I'd do some up... Maybe a quart size baggie of frozen scraps on the hottest days. My two Australorps just recently started laying, but they're doing so quite regularly.

The last two times my BCM laid a thin shelled egg we've caught her eating it which is quite upsetting. So far she's not broken any GOOD eggs to eat them, just the ones that could quite possibly have been laid broken.

I'm worried she may start breaking into good eggs to eat them or to teach my other two hens to eat eggs. I really like this hen and I'm hoping I can manage to fix the egg laying issue because I really don't want to have to cull or find her a new home. She's the sweetest of all my hens.

Thank you

 

[Mrs. K]

This is more than likely genetic, and while I am sure that people will post treatments, there is really nothing you can do about laying if their basic needs are being met.

That is just that bird. I would not hatch her eggs, and I would not really expect her to live long.

 

[aart]

So far she's not broken any GOOD eggs to eat them, just the ones that could quite possibly have been laid broken.

Not unusual.

I'm worried she may start breaking into good eggs to eat them or to teach my other two hens to eat eggs.

Not likely. But good to gather eggs as frequently as you can.

Some birds just sometimes have wonky egg making parts.
Might try cutting out all other foods but the layer feed for a few weeks, see what happens.

 

[LadyRogue]

Thank you for your reply. It was what I was fearing, not what I was hoping.

 

[Ridgerunner]

More recently, maybe the last 4-6 weeks she's started laying the two eggs with the second one having that thin shell.

So she has been laying a while. When a pullet first starts to lay she can sometimes have really strange eggs but this one has been laying long enough to have straightened out those problems.

I agree with the others. The way I read this your other hens are doing fine so this is an individual hen problem, not a flockwide problem and nothing that you are doing wrong. There is just something wrong with that pullet. The process to put an egg together and lay it is a pretty complicated process. To me it is amazing that so many get it right, either from the start or after a short time to fix flaws. It is surprising to me that more are not messed up.

I would be concerned that she could learn to open good eggs to eat or teach others to do that. I personally would not keep her.

 

[LadyRogue]

I appreciate all the information! Thank you very much. We'd already decided to try no treats and just layer feed for a while, considered giving tums crushed in yogurt. She has free access to oyster shells.

She seems completely healthy besides this issue. She's quite inquisitive and friendly. The other two hens prefer not to be touched, but Millie, the BCM, will pace back and forth within her run, along whatever side is closest to us. If I do stuff in the coop she'll rush in there to see what I'm doing... She'll eat food out of my hands.

She's sweet and I don't really want to get rid of her, but I also don't want her, or the others, to begin damaging good eggs.

 

[aart]

I appreciate all the information! Thank you very much. We'd already decided to try no treats and just layer feed for a while, considered giving tums crushed in yogurt. She has free access to oyster shells.

She seems completely healthy besides this issue. She's quite inquisitive and friendly. The other two hens prefer not to be touched, but Millie, the BCM, will pace back and forth within her run, along whatever side is closest to us. If I do stuff in the coop she'll rush in there to see what I'm doing... She'll eat food out of my hands.

She's sweet and I don't really want to get rid of her, but I also don't want her, or the others, to begin damaging good eggs.

When her eggs are 'good', are the shells good and hard?
Does she consume the oyster shell?
Might try feeding her some out of your hand to familiarize her to it.
If you feel the need to treat more assertively use calcium citrate with vit D3, the human tablets t 400-600mg calcium.
Pull down her wattles and pop the pill in her mouth and she'll swallow it.

 

[LadyRogue]

Her shells seem a little thinner than the other hens, but not THIN... Just maybe, a little thinner. What IS odd is the membrane is quite tough. You really have to make a conscious effort to tear it open when cracking her eggs.