Help!!! I have a hole in my eggs!!

[lizenloe]

One of my ladies just started laying. Her first egg was fine. Her second and third eggs have a hole at the tip. She is not one of my original ladies, I've had her for 4-6 months. I'm not sure (I'm new to chickens) if she is lacking something, is pecking her own eggs or one of the original ladies is mad at her for going into the roosting box?

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - great that you have joined us. When pullets begin to lay, it can take a while until their egg-laying system sorts itself out. It could well be that the shells are not as strong as normal, and hence they are more fragile and thus susceptible to breakage. As long as your layers are getting layers feed, or general flock feed with optional oyster shell then I would not worry too much.

If its possible, I would try and remove the eggs immediately after they have been laid as broken eggs can encourage the habit of egg-eating.

Best wishes
CT

 

[drumstick diva]

The egg looks like it was deliberately pecked. I would think it's the hen that layed them or the other hen which doesn't approve of her. Egg eating is a very hard habit to break.

 

[lizenloe]

Thanks!!!! I'm going to watch them tomorrow!!! Her bestie should start laying soon.....I'm a little worried about her, she has a wry tail. Has anyone had any experience with that?

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and ! Great to have you in our community! It seems you've received advice regarding the broken eggs but here are some old threads discussing wry tail: https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=Wry+tail
Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[Chicken Girl1]

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

It looks to me like a combination of a thin shelled egg, which is not unusual with new layers and perhaps not enough bedding material in the nest boxes. New layers have a really annoying habit of scratching the bedding out of the nest boxes, especially if they don't have a decent lip on the front of them and then as the egg is laid and drops out of the chicken, it hits the hard surface below and gets dinked. Eggs with good shells will withstand the short drop onto a hard surface but thin shelled eggs will hole like this. I'm sure when you crack open that egg, you will find the shell is very weak, almost papery.

Ensuring that they have plenty of calcium available will help the shells to get stronger.

 

[N F C]

Thanks for joining us, it's nice to have you here!

 

[RodNTN]

Hi and

Its great to have you aboard!