Leaking yolk

[Bostongrl]

Hey all, one of my EE's has started to lay. The first egg had no shell or was extremely soft shelled. It was broken when I found it. She's since laid 3 perfect eggs. I just went out and checked on the coop and she's laid another shell-less/soft shelled egg and there is yolk on their ladder to the coop and a little bit of yolk dripping from her vent. She seems normal, running around, following me, she ate some fresh veg like she was paid to do it. Should I be concerned? Thank you in advance!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Not normal and a concern but relax and hang in there.
How old is the bird?
Was the last incomplete egg the sane as the first? Any pictures?

 

[Bostongrl]

Not normal and a concern but relax and hang in there.
How old is the bird?
Was the last incomplete egg the sane as the first? Any pictures?

 

[Bostongrl]

Please excuse the state of the coop. I promise they are not living in squalor. The corn cob is fresh from today. I usually clean the run every other day but this week has been crazy with work so it's been put off until tomorrow between shifts. Ging appears to have stopped leaking yolk. Her butt looks pristine. She was eating corn off the cob when I went out to take the pics.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Please excuse the state of the coop. I promise they are not living in squalor. The corn cob is fresh from today. I usually clean the run every other day but this week has been crazy with work so it's been put off until tomorrow between shifts. Ging appears to have stopped leaking yolk. Her butt looks pristine. She was eating corn off the cob when I went out to take the pics.

Misfires in egg production and laying are VERY common with new layers! I had much the same experience with my Easter Egger, the first of my flock to lay.

Do be sure that they have a separate calcium supplement available 24/7, even if they’re on layer feed with calcium! Oyster shell is what most of us offer, either chunks (the most common form) or flakes (often preferred by layers; available on Amazon.) DON’T mix it with their feed. Different chickens want different amounts at different times, and their instincts will tell them when and how much to eat.

You can also save eggshells and feed them back to the girls. Many people sterilize them in the microwave, but after one attempt with the resulting stink, I abandoned this. I just save them up, periodically crunch them down, and sprinkle them on the ground where the girls like to scratch. Whether to heat them up, etc., is completely up to you.

Eggshells don’t replace oyster shells, though. Eggshells are metabolized quickly for a calcium boost, while oyster shells are more “slow and steady.”

But all the calcium discussion aside, what you’re seeing with your new layers is normal and common, and the kinks should work themselves out in the next few weeks. Don’t be surprised to find some double yolk eggs during this time!

 

[Kmaria187]

I save my egg shells all week then bake them at 350 for 15 minutes then put then in the food processor and grind them up to almost a powder and feed it back to the chickens. By either adding it to their mash

 

[Bostongrl]

Misfires in egg production and laying are VERY common with new layers! I had much the same experience with my Easter Egger, the first of my flock to lay.

Do be sure that they have a separate calcium supplement available 24/7, even if they’re on layer feed with calcium! Oyster shell is what most of us offer, either chunks (the most common form) or flakes (often preferred by layers; available on Amazon.) DON’T mix it with their feed. Different chickens want different amounts at different times, and their instincts will tell them when and how much to eat.

You can also save eggshells and feed them back to the girls. Many people sterilize them in the microwave, but after one attempt with the resulting stink, I abandoned this. I just save them up, periodically crunch them down, and sprinkle them on the ground where the girls like to scratch. Whether to heat them up, etc., is completely up to you.

Eggshells don’t replace oyster shells, though. Eggshells are metabolized quickly for a calcium boost, while oyster shells are more “slow and steady.”

But all the calcium discussion aside, what you’re seeing with your new layers is normal and common, and the kinks should work themselves out in the next few weeks. Don’t be surprised to find some double yolk eggs during this time!

Hi!!

They've had oyster shell available to them since I moved them to the coop a few months ago. I repurposed one of their chick feeders. I will definitely try the flake oyster shell though, as I'm not sure how keen they are on the chunks.
As for Ging, she appears to be back on track! I've gotten a few normal eggs after the leaky bottom episode. Her vent and backside look pristine and the only issue I'm having with her right now is that she seems to think I'm a rooster. She runs over and "assumes" the position every time I enter the run. I can't quite convince her that I'm not interested. I think my Speckled Sussex is getting ready to lay as well. She's been VERY noisy and in and out of the nesting boxes. So, I'll probably have more questions/concerns with her too. LOL
Thanks to everyone that has responded and put my mind at ease!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Very good to hear that Ging's bottom has cleared up and she's laying normal eggs now. It's not at all unusual for pullets to squat for their owners when they reach puberty! Just means she's ready to lay and breed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I save my egg shells all week then bake them at 350 for 15 minutes then put then in the food processor and grind them up to almost a powder and feed it back to the chickens. By either adding it to their mash

Better to not grind them - bigger pieces stay in the system longer for absorption. And it shouldn't be added to their feed as that removes their ability to pick up calcium if they need it.

The only time to use powdered calcium and add it to feed is to treat specific birds that need supplementing and aren't taking in enough on their own to meet their needs. In that case you'd want to isolate the hen being treated to ensure the others aren't eating her calcium laced feed/treats.

 

[Debbie292d]

Better to not grind them - bigger pieces stay in the system longer for absorption. And it shouldn't be added to their feed as that removes their ability to pick up calcium if they need it.

The only time to use powdered calcium and add it to feed is to treat specific birds that need supplementing and aren't taking in enough on their own to meet their needs. In that case you'd want to isolate the hen being treated to ensure the others aren't eating her calcium laced feed/treats.

This is great advice. Calcium is one of many vitamins/minerals that chickens don't excrete excess of, or excrete it very slowly, so any extra they consume and can't use sits in their organs. By putting it in their feed, there are some that need it, but you probably have some that don't, and could be overdosing them.