Hen Laying 2 Eggs- Danger?

[greenkalki]

Every morning and evening when I open or shut the coop, I check for eggs. Yesterday morning when I opened the coop, there were no eggs. When I closed the coop last night, there were three eggs. Now I only have three Cochins in this coop, and one of them is a rooster. So, ruling out the rooster, that means I got three eggs from two hens in a roughly twelve hour period. Two eggs were brown, and one was white (and smaller than the brown ones). The larger of the two hens has not laid since raising a batch of chicks, so my guess is that the two brown eggs are hers, and her first new egg may have been blocked and subsequently pushed out by the second. That's my only explanation, short of a magic fairy hen that sneaks into my coop to lay eggs.

 

[Kriscam]

I've called several vets, and they say, yes, it is quite possible. I attended a talk last night by a University of Utah Agent, a poultry specialist with advanced degrees in the area, and he agreed that it does happen. He doesn't know what my hen's outcome will be, and he said it will take a lot of energy for her to keep up the 2-egg per day pace. That is why I am trying to figure out the best diet for her. I have considered taking her to a vet to see whether she has peritonitis, but I'm afraid it might stress her out.

Did you read all the posts by members of this group in that link I posted just a few seconds ago? I would highly doubt that all 3 pages of posters would make up stories about hens laying multiple eggs in one day.

Maybe you are unfamiliar with the multiple-egg laying problem due to the fact the discussion of it is in the Chicken Behavior and Egg-Laying area of this group, not in Emergencies/Diseases/Injuries.

I loved the last line of one woman's post, but I can't verify that some hens who lay multiple eggs don't have her Betty's problem. I would love to be able to find out that multiple-egg laying doesn't spell pending infection and death for the hen. She wrote:

'Once, unfortunately for a sweet fun loving hen named Betty, 4 "eggs" were laid in one day by her. They had backed up due to the first one in line being malformed and once that came out, the others followed quickly on its heels (1 more malformed- a rubbery collapsed twisted shell with no content - and one soft shelled and one hard shelled). In the ensuing months, she continued to have problems and eventually infections that at first responded to antibiotics and later did not and then sadly, I lost her shortly after a surgery intended to relieve her of the problem (hysterectomy). But anyway, long story short, it is most certainly possible for a hen to lay more than one egg in a day. And hopefully, not necessarily because of a problem like Betty's.'

I have 5-month old Barred Rock named Martha. She started laying perfect eggs a couple of weeks ago. One morning she will lay a hard shelled egg in the nest, and that evening or the next evening, she will leave two soft shelled eggs on the coop floor. One morning she left a soft shell egg (rubbery) and a very thin shelled egg. I'm really worried about her and can't seem to find anything that suggests what to do to help. Is she binding up or is she just producing two eggs that don't have time to fully develop? I have a RIR red the same age who isn't having these problems. They both get plenty of calcium in their diets. Any thoughts out there in chicken lover land?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You are asking your questions on a very old thread (2011) so the OP may not even answer you.

How far apart in hours are the eggs being laid?
Do you give supplemental lighting?
Where are you located in the world?
What do you feed, including treats?
What is plenty of calcium in the diet?
Do you offer oyster shell free choice?
How much space do they have?
How many pullets?

 

[Kriscam]

You are asking your questions on a very old thread (2011) so the OP may not even answer you.

How far apart in hours are the eggs being laid?
Do you give supplemental lighting?
Where are you located in the world?
What do you feed, including treats?
What is plenty of calcium in the diet?
Do you offer oyster shell free choice?
How much space do they have?
How many pullets?

The two eggs are being laid within a few hours of each other but I can't tell exactly how many.
I don't give supplemental light. Their run has hardware cloth on three sides.
I am in North Central Washington - the eastern and dry side of the state.
I feed Purina organic layer feed. Treats? Usually spinach, corn, watermelon, bok choy, grapes.
The layer feed has oyster shell and I give free choice oyster shell as well.
I have four pullets/hens and they have a 4' x 15' run, with a 4'x4' coop.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The two eggs are being laid within a few hours of each other but I can't tell exactly how many.
I don't give supplemental light. Their run has hardware cloth on three sides.
I am in North Central Washington - the eastern and dry side of the state.
I feed Purina organic layer feed. Treats? Usually spinach, corn, watermelon, bok choy, grapes.
The layer feed has oyster shell and I give free choice oyster shell as well.
I have four pullets/hens and they have a 4' x 15' run, with a 4'x4' coop.

I would cut out the treats for several days and feed her normal feed. Give her extra calcium via 1 Caltrate once a day for 3-5 days.

She's young, so sometimes there can be a few minor glitches when they come into lay, but laying 2 eggs in 1 day on multiple occasions...that's a glitch.
So try the calcium also consider if she's stressed - does she need more room, any drama amongst the pullets, does she have lice/mites??

I realize you have the "recommended" space that most suggest. I also suggest it as a "guideline". Truth is some birds require much more space while others tolerate less.
I adore Barred Rocks, but every one I have had, does need space - they can be headstrong/independent birds - nothing wrong with that, but tight quarters, they become a bit stressed. Stress can affect overall health and production. Just something to consider - take time to observe behavior/interactions for a couple of weeks, several times a day including during roosting.

 

[Kriscam]

I would cut out the treats for several days and feed her normal feed. Give her extra calcium via 1 Caltrate once a day for 3-5 days.

She's young, so sometimes there can be a few minor glitches when they come into lay, but laying 2 eggs in 1 day on multiple occasions...that's a glitch.
So try the calcium also consider if she's stressed - does she need more room, any drama amongst the pullets, does she have lice/mites??

I realize you have the "recommended" space that most suggest. I also suggest it as a "guideline". Truth is some birds require much more space while others tolerate less.
I adore Barred Rocks, but every one I have had, does need space - they can be headstrong/independent birds - nothing wrong with that, but tight quarters, they become a bit stressed. Stress can affect overall health and production. Just something to consider - take time to observe behavior/interactions for a couple of weeks, several times a day including during roosting.

Thanks very much for your reply! Yes, she (Martha) is very head strong and at the top of the pecking order. She does complain when they have to be confined to their run. We've had many, many days of extreme heat warnings and their run is the coolest place they can be. It's a bit dark though. I try to let them free range for as much of the day as possible. All four of them get along great - very little drama. They used to fuss over roost position before bedtime, but that has lessoned greatly as they've gotten older. No parasites that I've been able to detect. I'm concerned that giving her supplemental calcium will help those soft eggs harden and with laying three in a day, she may bind up. Is it easier for them to pass hard eggs rather than soft ones? I try to check in with the girls multiple times daily and just hang out with them as much as I can. Thanks for your advice. I'll try to provide an update soon.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks very much for your reply! Yes, she (Martha) is very head strong and at the top of the pecking order. She does complain when they have to be confined to their run. We've had many, many days of extreme heat warnings and their run is the coolest place they can be. It's a bit dark though. I try to let them free range for as much of the day as possible. All four of them get along great - very little drama. They used to fuss over roost position before bedtime, but that has lessoned greatly as they've gotten older. No parasites that I've been able to detect. I'm concerned that giving her supplemental calcium will help those soft eggs harden and with laying three in a day, she may bind up. Is it easier for them to pass hard eggs rather than soft ones? I try to check in with the girls multiple times daily and just hang out with them as much as I can. Thanks for your advice. I'll try to provide an update soon.

Hard shelled eggs are easier to lay.
It's very unusual for a bird to lay an egg twice a day consistently.

 

[Prettyblueeggs]

I just read that I should be worried if I have a hen laying 2 eggs per day, which I do have. The person writing said that she would be worried the chicken would develop egg peritonitis.

Has anyone had a hen who laid 2 eggs a day, and, if so, did she develop egg peritonitis or egg binding, and die? If so, how old was she when she died?

Thanks for your assistance,

Clare

I just had one of my young hens lay 2 today and apparently pretty close together. I gathered eggs around noon and it's now just 2:30. Am I worried? Well, this one person who said it was impossible should do his/her homework. Apparently it is possible. Because my hen is young I'm going to say she hasn't regulated her cycle yet. Sometimes it's due to overfeeding, (I think I do that too) and sometimes it's a flook. Not sure I spelled that right!
If it happens again I'll pay more attention and see if there's a problem but she's happy, eating, there's been no different in her attitude so I'm going to say right now I'm not too worried. If yours is laying 2 on a regular basis then I'd do a little more homework on it! I wouldn't worry unless your hen is acting sick. Calm down and do some research and if you know a chicken vet...call them for a check up!
Good luck!
Love my chickens!

 

[JesWith3]

Are you collecting eggs at the same time everyday? Sometimes you can find 2 days in one day with one that was actually laid late the previous day and the other laid the current day.

It's physically impossible for a hen to lay more than 1 egg per day. The laying cycle is roughly 24-26 hours in length. Therefore, you get 1 egg a day or every other day depending on the hen and if she takes breaks.

Rare, but NOT impossible. It happens and it happening more in recent times for whatever reason. Stress and hormonal changes can contribute to two eggs a day.

 

[gosranch]

I just read that I should be worried if I have a hen laying 2 eggs per day, which I do have. The person writing said that she would be worried the chicken would develop egg peritonitis.

Has anyone had a hen who laid 2 eggs a day, and, if so, did she develop egg peritonitis or egg binding, and die? If so, how old was she when she died?

Thanks for your assistance,

Clare

I have only 1 Americana older hen who lays green/blue eggs, the others are brown egg layers. It is February now in the northwest corner of Iowa, and this past 2 weeks there have been a couple days where she has laid 2 eggs. I don't collect the eggs at the same time everyday, but I do shut them in their yard around sunset every night (I live on a farm with several creeks and a large pond not too far from their coup) to keep them safe from all of the predators, and to give them some treats and check for any late laid eggs. She is a very friendly hen and appears to be healthy. I can't help you out with any information on chances of developing egg peritonitis...She has never laid 2 eggs in a day before! And yes, she doesn't lay eggs every day.