Hen just laid shelless egg!!!

[DIMBY]

Fluffy, my white mutt, about 8 months old, one of my best layers, was fine this morning, ate and laid her egg. However, late this afternoon, as I was calling all for their evening snack, she didn't come running as usual. I went over to pick her up and she appeared fine, no injuries, not in any pain, no discharge. I took her to the run and she did poop a little, brown diarreha, and she did not eat. I isolated her in my spare henhouse and she settled down like she was going to lay. I fixed some apple cider and yogurt and she gobbled that up just fine. 15 minutes later, she laid a shelless egg - I believe this is the first time she has ever done this!!!

Her eyes are clear, breathing fine. No lice.
Feed is layer crumble with oyster shell. Evening snack, lettuce, yogurt, sometimes oatmeal or rice or beans. I often mix oyster shell in, too.

Other seven hens are fine.

How series is this?

 

[JakRat]

Mine have dones this a few times and it was when they were first laying. I was told that it could be stress or something they ate or no reason at all. Deff watch her for a bit to make sure that she is fine, but hopefully she will lay a regular egg tomorrow... that one may be bigger too.

 

[DIMBY]

Thanks for the reassuring words, I'm keeping her isolated tonight, she'll miss her buddies but better safe than sorry.

 

[k2chickens]

this is normal, it will pass. no worries

 

[caralouise1974]

Quote:
Shell-less eggs can be attributed to stress, which causes the hen to 'drop' the egg before it has spent enough time in the shell gland. If she's being at all stressed by being isolated, I'd put her back with her buddies. You could inadvertently cause the soft shells to continue.

If she's only done it once and seems none the worse for it, then it's nothing to worry about. My bluebelle lays them quite often, and even my BO has laid a couple in her time. It's very common indeed.

 

[caralouise1974]

Oh, and the abnormal behaviour also sounds very typical of a hen about to lay a soft shell. They tend to get a bit stuck and are hard work to push out, hence they can make the hen feel rather under the weather for a couple of hours before they emerge. They can also prevent them passing their usual faeces because the egg gets stuck at the cloaca and blocks the exit.

If she was fine immediately afterwards, then you have nothing to be concerned about.

 

[DIMBY]

Here's an update on Fluffy, waited two days to make sure she's OK. She laid a normal egg yesterday and is eating just fine, active as usual. Thanks so much to all for the reassuring words - everybody was right, seems to have been a normal "fluke."