Hi BYC

[WTCH Ho Dog]

Welcome to BackYardChickens! So glad to have you here in our wonderful community of friendly, helpful, knowledgeable people! So...hello to you and your...monster egg...thingee...

Yeah, it’s a thingy alright!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to activity at BYC - hopefully it was a one time occurrence of a soft/non completed egg. The bright blood was problematic.

 

[DobieLover]

Update, Thursday. I took shots of all the girls. Everyone seems totally fine, laying already done for 2 of them, which surprises me, after yesterday’s shock, and all the abnormal activity at the barn today. Haven’t looked in on the nest yet to see if there’s a bloody egg or another ‘thing’. And, oh so disgustingly, the Salmon Fav ate the ‘thing’ first thing this morning.View attachment 2235393View attachment 2235394View attachment 2235395View attachment 2235396View attachment 2235397View attachment 2235398View attachment 2235399View attachment 2235400View attachment 2235401

One of your chickens look really really strange. The black and white one in the stall.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy

 

[orloffer]

Welcome back to BYC, WTCH Ho Dog! There is so much to see, do, and learn here!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi and a belated welcome! I hope the weird thing was a one off, and whoever laid it never does it again.

 

[WTCH Ho Dog]

Welcome to activity at BYC - hopefully it was a one time occurrence of a soft/non completed egg. The bright blood was problematic.

Thanks! So, I did a lot of watching and some more looking online, and I’m fairly certain that A) it was the black Orpington, B) it was a ‘tube egg’, and C) one of the causes of a tube egg is...trauma. Since it appeared the day the tornado ripped their barn door off, I’m guessing the trauma part to be the cause. The next day, she laid a double yolker, not her first, so, there’s that. Her behavior was such that I noted it for being ‘off’. Sitting and pumping her rump like she was laying, getting up, acting normal, repeat. All day long. When she went into the nest, I waited for her to finish, then immediately pulled the eggs. Shown are the two I pulled, a normal from the Salmon Faverolle, and the black Orpingto’s massive double.

I would also like to thank everyone for the comments and the warm welcome

 

[WTCH Ho Dog]

Hah! I don’t know what I did to make it post every stinkin’ picture twice, but I apologize. Here are shots of the coop and current nesting area. We have a very no frills coop. The OSB surrounding the roosting area is to prevent little coon paws from reaching through the chainlink and grabbing a snack. There are pierblocks buried under the footing. This has worked for the better part of 12 years, because the first years we were here, they freeranged and didn’t have a secure coop. Then, a couple of city folk moved into the rental to the south of us, declared their delight in the local ‘wildlife’, and started feeding and attracting coons, possums, skunks and other vermin/predators. As soon as we lost the first hen, we built Fr. Hen. The ducks also have a similar fort out in their area. It ain’t pretty, but it works.

 

[WTCH Ho Dog]

One of your chickens look really really strange. The black and white one in the stall.

Yes, and he’s not much of a layer either. He’s the Gangsta Girl’s pet and slave. Since he’s an eunuch, no chance of weird offspring suddenly appearing