I've noticed shell less egg in the nests for about a week. I have 3 young hens so I assumed it was them and didn't worry much about it. Everyone's behavior seemed fine.
Then I noticed some crunched up shell in the coop not by the nests. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was definately not a picked egg. It just looked like part of an egg shell mushed flat. I didn't know what to make of it.
Then yesterday, I noticed my oldest hen not acting like herself. (She is probably 4, maybe older - rescue from commercial facility). She was moving slow, and sleeping in the middle of the day. She has never done this before. I separated her last night for observation. She is eating and drinking normally, but this morning she laid a shell less egg. Then I noticed that she pooped part of an egg shell. UH OH! I did not think she was the one laying shell less eggs because she has laid a couple of her normal ones this week, too. Her eggs are easy to identify because they are HUGE.
For a couple of weeks, there has been brown spots in her eggs. I looked it up on BYC and read that brown spots can be normal sloughing off of "uterine" material. Gross but harmless and not necessarily an indication of a problem.
Then we cracked open one of her eggs for breakfast and it had a fully developed yolk, brown stuff and two other spots that look like small eggs inside the egg. I'll try to get a picture.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY GIRL? HELP!
My chickens free range on grass, but also eat organic scratch and laying pellets. They also have 24/7 access to oyster shells and water.
I forgot to mention that she is a RIR/Leghorn mix.
Then I noticed some crunched up shell in the coop not by the nests. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was definately not a picked egg. It just looked like part of an egg shell mushed flat. I didn't know what to make of it.
Then yesterday, I noticed my oldest hen not acting like herself. (She is probably 4, maybe older - rescue from commercial facility). She was moving slow, and sleeping in the middle of the day. She has never done this before. I separated her last night for observation. She is eating and drinking normally, but this morning she laid a shell less egg. Then I noticed that she pooped part of an egg shell. UH OH! I did not think she was the one laying shell less eggs because she has laid a couple of her normal ones this week, too. Her eggs are easy to identify because they are HUGE.
For a couple of weeks, there has been brown spots in her eggs. I looked it up on BYC and read that brown spots can be normal sloughing off of "uterine" material. Gross but harmless and not necessarily an indication of a problem.
Then we cracked open one of her eggs for breakfast and it had a fully developed yolk, brown stuff and two other spots that look like small eggs inside the egg. I'll try to get a picture.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY GIRL? HELP!
My chickens free range on grass, but also eat organic scratch and laying pellets. They also have 24/7 access to oyster shells and water.
I forgot to mention that she is a RIR/Leghorn mix.
Last edited:
