Has my hen had a miscarriage?

[Whales&Chickens]

Good evening all.

I have been keeping chickens for 8 days now and all appeared to be going well with our 5 (possible) rhode island reds (they can be seen here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2599311#p2599311). They were all purchased as point of lay from a local rural supplies store. They are fed pullet layer crumbles & vegetable scraps. We have collected 6 eggs so far with never more than one in a day. The latest was collected this afternoon. Tonight though I went out to lock up the ladies in their coop and found this mess on the bottom on the floor.

It appears that it is a placenta with an umbilical cord running to the egg. The shell (background) is soft. Given my absolute lack of experience with poultry I have no idea if this is a normal occurrence, something sinister or somewhere in-between. Presumably a chicken's placenta does not normally detach with each egg layed but having seen a few human ones (I'm a Paramedic) I can only presume that this is what it is. There was no blood obvious around the area.

When the family and I were in the coop for 20ish minutes this afternoon all the hens seemed healthy, moving about comfortably and eating the crumble from our hands quite happily. I have not noticed any diarrhoea, unusual behaviour or discharges prior to this.

Should I be concerned, is my chicken now barren, do I need to start giving them some form of calcium (?shell grit) or is this just something that happens when they are starting to lay?

Cheers & thanks in advance.

 

[greathorse]

Eggs such as that are very common with pullets. I am sure someone will be able to give you the scientific reason, but in truth it just happens from time to time.

Not sure how one could describe it as a miscarriage since the egg may be fertile but no incubation has taken place.

Subsequent eggs will likely be fine. She may lay a couple more like that

Hope I have helped.

PS I think your hens are some variety of a red sex link. I dont think they are pure rhode Island reds. They should be egg laying macines.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_parts_embryo.html

The white cord like thing looks to be the Chalaza, that's the part that keeps the egg centered from the yolk to the white/clear.

My guess is she may have formed an egg inside another. sometimes they just have glitches in their system that happens.

Nothing forms without incubation in fertilized eggs and there is no sign of an embryo on your egg.

My thoughts

 

[cmom]

Here are some web sites that may help.
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/ep127.pdf
http://www.poultryhelp.com/oddeggs.html
http://www.countrychickens.com/country_chickens_4_008.htm
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/WeirdEggs/WeirdEggs.html

 

[vnploveschickens]

If you haven't yet, put out oyster shell for calcium. Put it in a separate dish available free choice.

Good Luck and

 

[Riven]

Welcome to byc, those are redsexlinks, or some call them red stars. They are "egg-cellent" layers! And have great personalities usually!

I'm not sure what causes this sort of thing to happen, but I raise chinchillas and it looks to me like what we call a heat plug. A mucus type gunk that comes out when they go into heat. It is similar to a mucus plug in pregnant women that help "seal thing up", but comes during their heat cycle. Not all chins produce them, and a lot of times you don't even see them because they are eaten or mixed in with shavings, etc.

Although I can't say for sure this is what it is, but if this girl is just starting to lay I don't know why it wouldn't be possible for chickens to have something similar happen on occasion.

Good luck with your girls!