Funky looking egg and no eggs today....

[cjeanean]

My chickens haven't laid more than 2 eggs for the past 2 days (usually I get 6 per day) and tonight hubby went out and found a brown egg that looked pink. We thought maybe it had come from our Ameraucana hen, but on closer inspection we found that the egg was brown with a weird dusty looking coating. I'm assuming it was the bloom. Does anyone know why a chicken would lay an egg with such a weird looking bloom??? They have more than enough oyster shell, and I haven't gotten any thin shelled or shell-less eggs or anything. I just don't know why I've only gotten 4 eggs in the past 2 days, and the third for today was laid around 9pm and had this funny coating that I'm talking about. Thanks!

 

[cjeanean]

Well, to add to the mystery it's now 3pm and I haven't gotten any eggs. There are little nests that have been made in the litter like normal, yet no eggs. I have no clue what's going on! I was getting up to 6 eggs a day until Sunday, then on Sunday I only got 2, and yesterday I got three. Is it possible that I have an egg eater??? Would an egg eating chicken clean up any and all evidence of an egg being there? I checked a couple of the hens and couldn't feel an egg inside of them, and they're all eating and drinking like normal. Could a moult be coming on? They're at 28 weeks right now.

BTW, if I was going to check inside for a bound egg, what do I use? I have the gloves and everything, I just don't know what to use as lube. Also, I've read that you gotta go in at a certain angle because of how the vent is built in order to get the reproductive tract instead of the intestine. Any advice is welcome!

 

[keljonma]

Our Partridge Plymouth Rock always lays a brown egg with a mauve tint. There isn't anything wrong with it, it is just her egg style.

What are the temps like? Chickens slow down during hot weather.

Have there been any stresses or changes to the flock? Loss or addition? Predator threat? Illness?

Are you sure they aren't hiding the eggs?

An egg eater will have yolk on their beak. Our roo has been caught egg eating - but he leaves the shell.

Are you sure you don't have a small egg predator? Mice and snakes love eggs.

I wouldn't go poking around the hen's vent unless you were sure she was egg bound. An egg bound hen will be noticeable. She will be slow and possibly looking pained.

Are your birds molting now? Do you see little quills coming in? We have 4 molting now. Every morning, our hen house looks like pillow fights have been going on all night long!

 

[cjeanean]

There's no way they could hide the eggs, they're in a coop with an enclosed run, and when I go out there to check I rake the litter to make sure none of the eggs are buried. Nothing has changed in the past few days. The weather has been cool, they've got their oyster shell, I have no idea what's going on! I don't have excessive amounts of feathers, either....I don't know!!!!!

 

[cjeanean]

I don't know if I have a predator.....it would have to be something that just goes for eggs. I know a mouse would definately be a possibility, but six eggs???? Don't know about snakes, I haven't ever even seen a snake out here, not even a little garter snake. No larger predators could get into the coop, I have it predator proofed. None of them are sick, at least that I can tell. All combs are bright and they're all eating fine. I just don't get it, cause there are little nest spots made in the corner of the coop just like normal, but no eggs. This will be the third day now. As far as having an egg bound hen, how exactly does a hen look pained? I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, but I'm curious!

 

[Sahara]

I have a hen that sometimes will either lay a soft shell or odd shaped egg. I believe it is due to the bird being old and almost to the point of no laying period. The last egg I got from her was over a month ago and the egg shell was very rough, large, and oblong.

So I'm writing that just in case your hen happens to be getting older. I have two that are almost to the point of no more eggs.

 

[cjeanean]

They're only 28 weeks. That's what makes no sense to me. On top of that, I haven't gotten any soft or shell-less eggs. Not even eggs with weird shapes!

 

[keljonma]

Well, I think your ladies are getting ready for molt. We do have a slow molting hen who loses a couple feathers every day. The only way I know she is molting is that she only lays one egg a week and if you pick her up, you can see the quills where the new feathers are coming in.

This is our SLW who we brought in because we felt she was egg bound. I didn't take a "before" pic when she was out in the hen house. But I think that is her angry hen look....

This is what I wrote in my journal: Ida barely moving and rolling her abdomen on the hen house floor. Hasn't laid an egg in a few days. Abdomen heavy and looks swollen. Brought into house and put into sink of warm water - HATED IT! Dried her off and made nest in infirmary. Nest is layered: towel, heating pad on low, towel, blue jeans circled to make nest, blue jeans covered with towel and straw and hay. Put Ida into fabricated nest. Later that night, laid an egg, which was triple yolker and largest, longest egg she has laid.

 

[cjeanean]

Would they molt so early, though??? None of them are losing any feathers! I thought they molted at a year, and these are just now 6 months old! They aren't acting any different, and I'm so freakin worried about them! I have 18 hens that should be laying, so far I've only been getting eggs from 6-10 of them, so there are a few who still haven't started. My 4 leghorns definately are, and I have at least three to four brown egg layers who already are. My original 20 (18 hens and 2 roos) are the ones who are at 28 weeks, then I have several other ages in there too.