Laying eggs without shells (not rubber eggs, eggs without shells)

[cheapcheepcheep]

Hi,
I've got a 1.5 year old Barred Rock with a weird issue. Last night, I looked in on them after dark, and she was on the roost, with the innards of an egg in the shaving beneath her, but there was no shell to be seen. I brought her inside, checked to make sure no shell bits were stuck in her vent (there weren't), and then cleaned the area with a mild vinegar solution. I put her back with the others, figuring keeping her apart might stress her out. This morning she looked and acted fine. Tonight, I looked in on them again, and she seemed to have another bit of egg under her, though less than yesterday.

I give them calcium chips to pick at, as well as yogurt every morning, and ACV in the water. She's in there with 5 other chickens. Any ideas what this could be?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

if i take a guess, you have an egg eater or rather a shell eater. check all their beaks for signs

 

[farmtotable]

My chickens will eat the shell before they'll eat the insides of an egg. They have free choice oyster shell available, they just love the broken ones. They don't ever break eggs in the nesting boxes, it's only come up when one of them laid an egg while roosting and it fell to the ground....Maybe that's happening in your coop as well. Thankfully, mine haven't made the connection between the broken shells and the whole eggs!

 

[cheapcheepcheep]

This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it's what's happening. She did have egg on her backside, as though it had dripped on its way down. I'd also think there'd be some remnants of shell around, and there's been nothing. Maybe I'll separate her from them tomorrow and see what happens. (Of course, tomorrow she'll decide not to lay an egg). That would at least show if there is any shell coming out or not.

The eggs are pretty undisturbed, also. They're just there in the bedding, and I'd think if someone had eaten the shells, there'd be more of a mess. It's very odd. But I think keeping her away from the others until she lays again will help decide if this is what's going on.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I have a girl that does the same thing. She will occasionally lay just the insides of the egg. No evidence of a shell at all. She's about 1 1/2 yrs. old - a black sex link - and has never been the best layer. She has twice stopped laying for a while and then had a rough time getting her system back in order to start laying again. One time was right after molting. She'll do the egg with no shell at all - usually on the roost like you're talking about - then a soft shell - and finally back to normal eggs.

There was one time that I thought she had something serious going on. She hadn't laid for a few days and then acted like she was egg bound - lethargic, puffed up, etc. She then laid two in one day [yes, it was her as I saw her drop one in the run and then watched her get off the nest with the other] - both with soft shells - and finally got herself back into rhythm.

The last time my girl did this was this past spring. I changed food on them - went from fermented feed to layer pellets only and she almost immediately began having problems. Put her back on fermented feed and she went right back to laying decent eggs. I don't know if the change in food was the problem or just a coincidence. I think this girl of mine has some sort of internal issue and that she'll always be like this. Fingers crossed as she's been laying consistently hard shelled eggs the past few months.

Has your girl molted or had any changes that would impact her? Been frightened by anything? Hope she gets herself turned around!

 

[Dharris09]

Yeah sounds like an egg eater

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I have a chicken who lays eggs on the roost - a BSL who is around 1 1/2 years old too Mtn Laurel. Sometimes they are just the insides, sometimes rubber, and sometimes whole.

 

[Feather Fowl]

Eggs without shells often means disease. It could just be egg eaters. But no shells, hmmm. As you supply grit and yoghurt, I doubt it would be calcium deficiency. Diseases can include egg drop syndrome and Infectious Bronchitis. I would research about that. Check the poo, that is the most important part as you can narrow down what the problem is. If it has only just started laying (doubt it if it is a 1.5 year old) and all her eggs that have been laid are like that, then it could be genetic. Pick up on any other behavioral or physical symptoms if there are any, that could help you to diagnose a problem.

Hope for the best

 

[Mtn Laurel]

With reference to the mention of Egg Drop Syndrome, no cases of the disease have ever been found in the United States. As the OP is in Massachusetts, that's one less thing for him to worry about.

 

[cheapcheepcheep]

I'm going to quarantine her tonight and see what happens.

The weird thing is, last night there was some egg under her, and I covered it with bedding. This morning, there was more when I went in to let them out. So, it's as if she has been dribbling it out over the course of the night. She did molt recently, maybe a couple of weeks ago. That was a thought I had too, if that was maybe related. We'll see what happens when she's by herself (assuming it doesn't freak her out so much she stops trying to lay).

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll get to the bottom (so to speak) of this.