Mama hen starting to lay after 13 weeks off duty... but no shells??

CluckySam

In the Brooder
10 Years
Nov 10, 2009
63
1
31
Melbourne, Australia
Hi everyone,

My hamburg has successfully hatched and raised an adopted little brood of 4 chicks, and after 13 weeks without eggs is starting to lay again, however her eggs are shell-less
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. She has never been a particularly good layer (maybe 3 eggs per week) and has a wonky tail (kind of bent around to the side a bit), however I am a little concerned that she is laying these eggs - I think 2 so far. I only noticed the one today because one of my other chickens had yellow on her beak, nose and wattles and I realised it was yolk, which she must have eaten off the top of the perch, where there were smears of yolk.

Is this type of egg normal for hens returning to lay after and extended period without laying? Should I just offer her extra grit?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Sam
 
Not grit, oyster shell. Grit is for grinding up food in the crop. Oyster shell is a calcium supplement and, while it feels hard, is not hard enough to grind up food with.

However, it's not that unusual for a chicken to lay a shell-less or otherwise odd egg now and then, particularly when they first start laying, so possibly also when they return to laying.

You might review what she eats in general as well. Supposedly, a good layer feed already contains enough calcium for good eggshells.
 

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