Egg questions

[AngieL]

I'm not entirely new to keeping chickens but this one has me stumped. I've got 6 pullets between 15 & 17 weeks old. 2 EEs, 2 GLW, a Freedom Ranger & a White Leghorn. I also have 6 older girls 2-4yo. Last night after all had gone to roost, I found a single soft shell egg in the run. I'm assuming it was from the FR because she was the last to roost & the egg wasn't there when I went out to close the coop door. Then today I went out and found a solid shell egg in the run. I know this one was from the FR. ( FR & WL being kept in a separate run from the others due to injuries from overzealous rooster). Then tonight after everyone was roosted, I went out to the coop to check on things and found 2 soft shell eggs right below the FR. One is quite small but with a double yolk. The other looked to be very large with 3 yolks. My question...Is this normal? Or is it possible that one of the others was there before and moved? Out of curiosity, I candled the first egg from last night and it looked like there was bubbles in it. I'm posting pictures. The first are the eggs I found under the roost. I accidentally broke a yolk while getting the bedding picked off. Second, the second egg I found in the run compared to an egg from one of the older girls . Third is the first egg I found in the run.

 

[Perris]

Those particular phenomena are all new to me - but young birds commonly have issues, while their systems adjust to egg laying, and if they are from the young birds it may be a short lived blip.

 

[LunaMarieWolf]

When my hens started laying, I got a LOT of soft shelled eggs that were laid right where they roosted.

The tiny egg is what they call a "fairy" egg, I got those when my Black Sex Links started laying. They usually don't have a yolk in it.

Everything seems normal to me, the hens' reproductive tract just hasn't sorted itself out yet.

 

[aart]

First pic, not unusual for multiple yolks to be released in a new layer, usually doubles but triples are not unknown....nor is the soft shell unusual.

Second pic....did you open that one?

Third pic looks like a fractured air cell, have seen this in one of my birds.....but did you open it?

Maybe I didn't read carefully enough, but are all of these from the FR?
..or maybe the WL because those 2 are isolated from any other birds?
FR is a meat bird, correct?

 

[AngieL]

First pic, not unusual for multiple yolks to be released in a new layer, usually doubles but triples are not unknown....nor is the soft shell unusual.

Second pic....did you open that one?

Third pic looks like a fractured air cell, have seen this in one of my birds.....but did you open it?

Maybe I didn't read carefully enough, but are all of these from the FR?
..or maybe the WL because those 2 are isolated from any other birds?
FR is a meat bird, correct?

I'll answer your last question first. Yes, the FR is a meat bird. I didn't know that when I got her and she seems to be thriving, so I'm just letting her alone. She's a really sweet girl. She comes to me when I say her name like a little puppy dog. And I'm assuming the eggs are hers because even though the shells are soft, they aren't white. I haven't opened the others yet. Will do that today just to see. I've dealt with the soft shell eggs before with the older girls, but I don't recall ever getting 4 eggs in a 24hr period from just one bird. But then I've never had a FR before either. Oh well, a new experience with chicken keeping.

 

[aart]

But then I've never had a FR before either. Oh well, a new experience with chicken keeping.

Might try a search on FR laying.....not familiar either as most don't keep them to lay, but some have done so.

 

[AngieL]

I opened both eggs. The soft shell one had bubbles but otherwise normal. The small "fairy egg" had a yolk.

Here's the soft shell egg.

Here's the fairy egg.

 

[AngieL]

Might try a search on FR laying.....not familiar either as most don't keep them to lay, but some have done so.

I did. And really the info I kept finding was how to process. I did find one that was keeping a FR roo to breed to the hens to see if the chicks grew any faster. Not really too much one the egglaying capabilities. Which, honestly, I'm not too concerned about. The overzealous rooster that caused her injuries is also a FR. I've been keeping him separated from the girls for the most part as I don't want anymore injuries. Otherwise, he's a good bird. He doesn't try to attack people, he's hasn't tried to attack our outside cat but then the cat hasn't tried attacking him either. (The cat's somewhat afraid of him as he is a rather large bird.) He just has a few too many hormones as he is still young 17 wks. Hoping that will settle some as he gets older.

 

[EggWalrus]

The third pic looks like hundreds of tiny yolks. Has any one ever heard of a hen that "dropped" most of her tiny immature yolks into what would become a single egg?

 

[EggWalrus]

Would you please open the 3rd egg. I'd like to know if those are bubbles or hundred of tiny yolks.
Thank you!