Laying egg whites? What’s going on?

[MegMicheleW]

Hello!
Got laying hens at the end of May. Everything has been going great. My girls are about 6 months old. My one girl has been laying consistently. Last week she layed a soft egg - seemed as though the shell had not formed. She then layed regular eggs consistently again. Monday and tuesday she layed an egg (although one was lighter in color, chalky and rough? Will insert picture-bottom left egg), and then yesterday i caught her in the nesting box as she layed what seemed to be egg whites with maybe a little bit of membrane in it? She had been acting normal regardless, however i did notice her spending more time in the nesting box, i figured maybe she was starting to go broody?
Today i’ve noticed she’s been quiet, not as chatty and not as interested in fresh produce. As i went out to check on her just now, she layed a soft egg again with what seems to be a bunch of egg whites? Her posture seems odd too, whether she be laying or standing, her but is up in the air.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Photos of my girl and what came out of her.

 

[alinas2010]

Your hen seems to be having some laying issues. She definitely appears to be egg bound based on that stance. If a chicken needs to lay a shell-less egg, it can be difficult to get out. This can cause egg binding. Sometimes more than one egg can be backed up in there. If the egg isn’t laid within 24 ish hours the hen will sadly pass away.

To treat egg bound hens, immediately administer 400-600 mg of calcium citrate plus D3. It is a human vitamin found at most grocery/drug stores. Very good idea to keep some on hand for egg binding episodes.

As far as her laying soft and abnormal eggs, it could be shell gland issues or not getting enough calcium. Does your flock have free access to supplemental calcium such as oyster shells?

 

[MegMicheleW]

Your hen seems to be having some laying issues. She definitely appears to be egg bound based on that stance. If a chicken needs to lay a shell-less egg, it can be difficult to get out. This can cause egg binding. Sometimes more than one egg can be backed up in there. If the egg isn’t laid within 24 ish hours the hen will sadly pass away.

To treat egg bound hens, immediately administer 400-600 mg of calcium citrate plus D3. It is a human vitamin found at most grocery/drug stores. Very good idea to keep some on hand for egg binding episodes.

As far as her laying soft and abnormal eggs, it could be shell gland issues or not getting enough calcium. Does your flock have free access to supplemental calcium such as oyster shells?

Sounds good for the calcium citrate! I will pick some up when i go to town. Do i just pill her like i would a cat or dog? Any tricks?
She has access 24/7 to crushed oyster shells, and i also throw in some crushed dried egg shells daily. She was often free ranged during the day, but we had an incident with a fox a few weeks ago, but i try to let them free range in the evening when we are able to be out with them. I don’t know if this can affect this?
To my relief she started chatting again this afternoon, so hopefully it’s all up hill from here.
If I’m understanding this correctly, there may be a few eggs backed up? I tried palpating to see if she was egg bound but i didnt feel anything hard, although if her shells are soft i suppose i wouldn’t necessarily feel anything..

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have something going on with her shell gland in her oviduct, so the calcium is necessary to see if the shells will become hard. She may be developing salpingitis or it might be glitch in her laying, but I would give the calcium with vitamin d for 7 days to see if it helps. She might have been exposed to infectious bronchitis at some time in her life, and that can cause reproductive problems. Stress is another common cause. Read about some of the common disorders and egg shell problems with possible causes here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[alinas2010]

@Eggcessive has the best advice! As far as getting her to take the calcium, the easiest way is to gently pull down on her wattles, this will open her mouth, pop the pill in, let go and she will swallow. It might take a few times to get it right, but don’t be afraid. Remember that they eat mice and stuff, so a large pill won’t be an issue to give whole.

I’m glad she is feeling better. She may not have another egg to lay, it just happens sometimes that there is more than one. I just wanted you to be aware of that is all

My Ravioli struggles on a pretty regular basis with laying soft eggs. I suspect she has a shell gland issue. She always has struggled no matter how much calcium I give her. Keeping the vitamin on hand has saved her life, I am certain of it. Although her shells haven’t toughened up, the vitamin also helps muscles contract and push the egg out.

 

[C Siena]

@Eggcessive has the best advice! As far as getting her to take the calcium, the easiest way is to gently pull down on her wattles, this will open her mouth, pop the pill in, let go and she will swallow. It might take a few times to get it right, but don’t be afraid. Remember that they eat mice and stuff, so a large pill won’t be an issue to give whole.

What if the hen does not have wattles, well not enough to hold? It took me a long time/many many tries to get just a piece of the pill in our Buckeye.

I need to give her some today and for the next several days. I'm going to try when it is dark and have my husband assist.

 

[MegMicheleW]

Amazing, thank you so much!