Hen laying twice a day. One egg is egg is great, the other is a rubber egg.

[Kataloo]

My first girl to lay is a Buff Orpington. She has been laying for about a month. At first everything went as I had hoped. She surprised me that she lays almost everyday. Lately she has been laying rubber eggs at night. This happens about 3-5 times a week. When I go out to check on the girls in the morning, there is a rubber egg along with the droppings. She still lays regular eggs during the day.

What is causing this? What can I do to stop it. She has crushed eggs shells available, and is on Purina Layena. Any ideas? All of my girls free-range most of the day and than are locked in the coop at night.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Are you absolutely sure the rubber eggs are coming from the one laying during the day?
If there's really 2 eggs a day, the rubber egg would make sense but 2 eggs a day doesn't.
It takes about 25 hours to make an egg and in almost all cases the next ovulation won't happen for at least an hour after the last egg is passed. What you're describing is ovulation while the last egg is still in the shell gland. Very unusual and I don't think there's a way to fix it other than stressing the bird to the point that ovulation is disrupted.

 

[lazy gardener]

What Kataloo is describing is entirely possible. When my BSL started laying, I witnessed one normal egg and 2 rubber eggs within the same day. She layed a normal egg in the nest box, and later that day, I watched her pop out 2 rubber eggs within 5 minutes. So, even though the norm is an egg/day with some skipped days, some chickens have abnormalities.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I didn't say it wasn't impossible and anomalies are common with newly laying pullets.

 

[Kataloo]

I am pretty certain which hen is laying the rubber eggs because I have seen her lay one. However, just today, I decided I am not so certain on which one is laying the good egg. Patty was on the nest for a long time today. When she got off there was no egg. (There was a rubber egg on the coop floor this morning.) Then her sister Penny (another buff orpington), got on the nest. I went inside and checked about an hour later and there was a good egg. Penny usually lays lighter colored eggs, so I have never thought it was her. Now I am not so sure.

However, someone IS laying a lot of rubber eggs. Do I do anything or just let nature take its course?

 

[lazy gardener]

Be sure to offer extra calcium in addition to their lay pellets. Ground egg shell, oyster shell. It will usually sort it's self out.

 

[RonP]

Be sure to offer extra calcium in addition to their lay pellets. Ground egg shell, oyster shell. It will usually sort it's self out.

X2

I would absolutly offer soluble grit free choice, oyster shell to all, layers or not.

They will know if they need the extra calcium.

 

[smarsh]

it is not likely a lack of calcium but simply a young hen mis carrying. She isn't holding the egg long enough, and they can lay more than one egg in a day when they are like this, but not day after day, just not possible to keep up such a production. They usually grow out of this, but it usually is the beginning of laying and not later. I suspect you were wrong about which is laying the good eggs. I had 13 pullet to all go to laying at once, and for 2-3 weeks I was continually cleaning up such eggs. It is odd they never lay such eggs in the nest, but I am glad they don't

 

[Xtineart]

I noticed that smarsh. my naomi seems to go through a wee phase every so often where she'll do the proper-egg-jelly-egg-skip-a-day routine but she always lays her jelly eggs in the porch or on the doorstep and tries to get my attention to let me know one is coming. I dont know if she thinks maybe I can do something to help or if she's in pain, but after a few days she seems to get over it and go back to laying pretty speckled brown eggs in the nest again. I've pretty much given up worrying about it now, it just seems to be a 'thing' they do when they are young or getting older.

 

[Kataloo]

I've been camping and so have not been able to keep up with the posts. Sorry. I have given them chick grit since they were still in the brooder, just as a precaution. They don't seem to eat much of it. That may because I use sand, so I think they get all the grit they need. I'm inclined to think it is what Smarsh said. Mislaying. Hopefully she will outgrow it and all will be well. She is my favorite hen. I too am glad these are not laid in the next box.