Help! Pullet suddenly acting odd and quiet.

[fgchickens]

Hi, I'm new here and my three 20 week old pullets are my first chickens. I have a Red Sex Link, Delaware and Cuckoo Marans. My Sex Link started laying 7 days ago and is doing great! I'm very worried about our Black Cuckoo Marans, as she was fine yesterday, but she's seemed very quiet today. This morning she ate plenty of food but was quiet. About an hour ago I went out to check on her and she was standing under the misters we have set up for them and wouldn't move. Then, my Delaware went up behind and then underneath her and started pecking on something on the ground, when I inspected it, it looked like egg white, but just a little bit, and no yolk or shell. She keeps shutting her eyes and is panting. Is she trying to lay her first egg? What was that egg white looking stuff?

 

[misslys15]

Sometimes when chickens start laying, they act a little funny and lay weird eggs (no shells, "fairy eggs" or eggs with no yolk, soft shells, small eggs, etc.). It's possible your chicken is starting to lay and had one of these weird incidents and she just laid egg white. Keep an eye on her to make sure she's eating and drinking enough and doesn't seem sick. I expect it will work itself out and she will start laying normal eggs soon.

 

[fgchickens]

Thanks so much, misslys15! Yes, she did end up laying a shell-less egg soon after that egg white. She hadn't layed anything since, until today...she layed a perfectly shaped egg with shell! And, she's completely back to herself.