Hen laying 2 eggs a day. Worried this is a precursor to something worse! Help please!!

[Sparkleyhead]

I have a Buff Rock hen that just turned 2. For the past two or three weeks she has been laying 2 eggs at a time, but they are poor quality. One is chalky and rough and the other is thin shelled or just a membrane.

I am worried because this time last year (March) I had a Buff Orpington that had just turned 2 and was doing the same thing; 2 eggs at a time, one chalky and the other thin shelled/membrane. She seemed healthy and fine otherwise, but as the months progressed she stopped laying all together and dropped a lot of weight. Despite my research and a trip to the vet, I couldn't figure out what was happening to her and she ended up dying in October. I felt awful not knowing how to help her. Now my BR is showing the same beginning symptoms my BO showed and I'm really worried. I'm hoping someone could tell me what this is and why it's happening??

I want to nip this in the bud as fast as I can because I do NOT want my poor BR going through the same thing Could it be Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome? I try to be careful on what I feed them. They are only getting layer feed now that it is warm and they have about 1,500 square feet to run around in. And when they free range they have to go up and down hills, so they get a fair amount of exercise. Help please!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

This time of year with the increasing daylight chickens hormones are surging. Some hens will respond by releasing more than one yolk at a time or one after another. Most of the time they are double yolked eggs. Your girl seems to be doing something different. Do you provide oyster shells free choice? I don't think there's a lot you can do, and I would suspect your other hen death wasn't related to her laying habit, it's always possible but there are lots of different things she could have passed from.

 

[Sparkleyhead]

I feel a lot better knowing this, thank you. And yep, they have access to oyster shell. I mix some into their food and have some scattered in their eating area. Is there a better way for me to present the oyster shell to them?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I just keep it in a separate dish, they don't consume much so expect it to last a long time. Most chickens are quite healthy until one day they are not and mostly we can't do anything for them, so don't feel too bad, just give them a good decent life, and enjoy them while you have them.

 

[Sparkleyhead]

That's a great idea. I'm going to start doing that now too. Thank you for helping me. Hopefully, like you said, it's just her hormones acting up and I have nothing to worry about. Fingers crossed!