hen has dried yolk on underside

[Silkie_Lover1]

I went out to the coop this morning to let the silkies out and when I did a picked Marshmallow and noticed that she had a lot of dried yellow stuff on her underside which I assume is yolk. I have seen my chickens eat an egg that I had laid down for a second just a few days ago but I have no idea how it would get all over her underside. The only thing I can think of is that when she was laying an egg my broody hen, Raven could have pecked at it because she pecks at EVERYTHING that goes near her when she is on the nest even though she isn't sitting on anything. What do you guys think?

 

[chickens really]

Possibly a soft shelled egg. Do you provide oyster shell?

 

[Abriana]

Either she laid a soft shelled egg and sat on it, she broke an egg in the box and sat on it, or somebody else broke an egg and she sat on it. It is probably nothing to be concerned about! But if you want to get the egg off, a warm soak and a soft cloth will probably get it off.

 

[Silkie_Lover1]

Possibly a soft shelled egg. Do you provide oyster shell?

I was waiting for all three chickens to start laying and my parents haven't had the chance to take me to Tractor Supply so I haven't been providing oyster shell.

Either she laid a soft shelled egg and sat on it, she broke an egg in the box and sat on it, or somebody else broke an egg and she sat on it. It is probably nothing to be concerned about! But if you want to get the egg off, a warm soak and a soft cloth will probably get it off.

I just bathed Marshmallow on Wednesday so could I just leave it on her and let it come off over time?

 

[Abriana]

I was waiting for all three chickens to start laying and my parents haven't had the chance to take me to Tractor Supply so I haven't been providing oyster shell.


I just bathed Marshmallow on Wednesday so could I just leave it on her and let it come off over time?

Yep! She'll be fine, and it will come off in time.

 

[chickens really]

I was waiting for all three chickens to start laying and my parents haven't had the chance to take me to Tractor Supply so I haven't been providing oyster shell.


I just bathed Marshmallow on Wednesday so could I just leave it on her and let it come off over time?

Leave her it will come off. And definitely get Oyster shell and keep in a separate bowl. If you have tums you can crush them over feed.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Sounds like she sat in a broken egg to me.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I was waiting for all three chickens to start laying and my parents haven't had the chance to take me to Tractor Supply so I haven't been providing oyster shell.

If they aren't eating layer feed they will need the oyster shell... on the side is good because then the non layers will sample but not over indulge.

The layer will sacrifice her own calcium to lay hard shelled eggs if needed. Sometimes though soft shells are a hiccup of new layers.

I had one gal with so much yolk stuck on once that the other eggs in the nest dried and were hanging from her belly feathers.

Maybe adding some fake eggs if you haven't already will help deter any habits from forming out of a happy accident. Egg eaters are terrible flock mates IMO.

Good luck!

 

[Silkie_Lover1]

If they aren't eating layer feed they will need the oyster shell... on the side is good because then the non layers will sample but not over indulge.

The layer will sacrifice her own calcium to lay hard shelled eggs if needed. Sometimes though soft shells are a hiccup of new layers.

I had one gal with so much yolk stuck on once that the other eggs in the nest dried and were hanging from her belly feathers.

Maybe adding some fake eggs if you haven't already will help deter any habits from forming out of a happy accident. Egg eaters are terrible flock mates IMO.

Good luck!

All my silkies are laying now so I will start them on some layer feed soon, I put fake eggs in the nest boxes the day that they ate the egg and that seemed to help, because I collected one egg yesterday.