Funky egg!

[Sara Ranch]

This end up! Yep, that is how my girl left her egg this morning. The hole up.

It might have been the stress of all of the storms yesterday and the chickens being cooped up in coop. (There were severe storms yesterday afternoon and evening.)

She usually lays consistently (unless there's chicken/sister/boyfriend drama) and her shells have always been good and "normal". She has extra calcium in her diet - all my egg layers do. Ironically, this morning she ate an extra helping of calcium. Lol - maybe she's self correcting!

If someone knows this to be an indicator of a different problem (different from calcium deficiency or a one time fluke) please let me know.

 

[Sara Ranch]

Two additional pictures that I thought had uploaded with the first post.

There are a few wood shavings on the side of the egg. The other egg in the picture is normal from a different hen.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I have weird ones but you won!

 

[aart]

Not unprecedented.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697007/weird-or-odd-eggs-pics
How old is she?
Probably just a one off glitch, no need to worry unless it happens regularly.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I clean all the animal spaces daily. This morning, I was in the coop cleaning...I use the sand method. And I found something that looked like a used condom. I was like, "Yeah, my rooster took me seriously about safe mating!" Then I realized that it was too big for a rooster. * He's actually a cockerel.

Then I realized it was probably a shell less egg. My girl didn't lay an egg in the nesting box today, like she normally does. And this shell less egg was a few hours before she normally lays an egg.

Her poop is fine. (Yes, I look at poop. Daily.)

She's eating and drinking fine.

Her vent looked a tad swollen, but I did catch her after a poop.

Her belly felt very similar to her sisters. Maybe a tad swollen, but super hard to tell.

No changes that I can think of that might affect egg laying.

She's alert and mobile.

Anything else I should look for?

* I'm usually awake between 3 & 4 am and day has already begun my 5 am. No human conversation or food/drink usually until 8:30-9 am. Just the way it goes with morning chores. I take care of all the animals and get the chores all done before I take care of me. So there is some fuzzy thinking that early in the morning. Maybe some fuzzy logic too.

 

[aart]

Then I realized it was probably a shell less egg.

Same bird you think?

How old is she?

..and how long has she been laying?

Then I realized that it was too big for a rooster. * He's actually a cockerel.

....and male chickens don't have penises

 

[Sara Ranch]

Yeah, it was from the same bird, me thinks. I have two girls (sisters) that lay eggs. One does a medium size egg and the other does an extra large large egg (it won't fit in the carton well).

My medium egg layer is still laying the same size eggs. The other gal has not laid a regular egg yesterday or today..

Not sure how long she's been laying. She was adopted. I was told she was about a year and a half, maybe two years old. Hard to tell for sure.

Lol - yeah, I know...but after the 5th or 10th night of very little, often interrupted sleep, before coffee/water/juice/food, my thoughts are a bit disjointed! I did realize -- after a bit -- that it couldn't have been what my first thought was (safe mating).

And I had been having THAT talk with Rocky since he was so smitten with his new girlfriend. So logically, it just made sense that after they broke up and then got back together again -- she doesn't want kids -- that he would respect her wishes and use protection.

Did I mention lack of quality sleep?? And that this was before breakfast??

 

[aart]

Haha! Yeah, I see now.
So you only have the 2 girls and 1 cockbird?
How long have you had this bird?

Another thought is that if she is 1-2 years old, she my be slowing down getting ready to molt, can get some funky eggs during that time.

 

[Sara Ranch]

More complicated than that.

I have 2 girls that are about 1.5-2 yrs old. Usually lay regularly. Adopted them a few weeks ago. (One is doing the funky and the no egg thing.)

I have 10 girls that are about 3 months old. Too young to lay eggs!

I have 3 teenage cockerels (about 4 months old) that are in the run. One of those boys has latched onto the girls and he is their one and their only boy. While he's too young to fertilize the eggs, he's learning how to mate. The other two boys aren't that much into mating. And ALL the girls will say no. One of the boys will run to help a girl chicken saying no... He's a sweetie!

I have 2 boys that are about 3 months old. Too young for mating! (And they have no interest in mating at this time.)

All 17 live and play together. I'm working on something where I can separate out the older 5 birds for part of the day.

Molting - it's possible. There haven't been any physical signs that's she's molting. And I don't know her previously molt schedule.

It's been hot as heck here...the heat wave broke today. Me hopes! Third day, no egg from my girl. But she was eating her special feed with extra calcium again today.

We shall see...any more thoughts?

 

[aart]

Ah, OK. Well laid out, thanks.

Since the problem layer is older she may well be slowing down and getting ready to molt, as I suggested previously.

The recent move and chaos of young cockerels trying to jump bones could have precipitated an earlier than usual molt....or is just stressful, which can also cause funky eggs, as can the heat.

Extra calcium doesn't not always cure funky shells, the other nutrients needed to assimilate that calcium must also be sufficiently present. What all feed/foods is she eating?

Separating all those horny, rowdy young boys would make everyone's lives less stressful, all the girls would thank you.