membrane on the outside of shell...maybe trending to egg bound?

[OrpingtonManor]

My 11-month-old Barnie pullet, Java, took a long time to start laying. Then, when she got going, she consistently laid extra large eggs that were very round, barely oblong.

This morning I found one of her eggs under the roost. Initially, I thought it was broken because I could see yolk and albumen and a membrane. But, when I picked it up I realized that she had formed another membrane around the egg.

I know that sometimes they will form another shell around an egg already in the "uterus" but am wondering why this happens. Luckily, she didn't form another shell, but it seems like the first egg must have been stuck, and the next egg in the works lubricated things up enough for it to slide out.

Has anyone had this happen? And, did you find that bird started getting egg bound? I will be really bummed out if she does get egg bound because she is my most beautiful Barnevelder.

Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

eta - the egg weighs 69g, so solidly XL but not jumbo. still, that really round shape.

 

[ranchhand]

Hmmm, I'm stumped. She formed the inner membrane and then another over that? Just 2 membranes instead of a membrane and a shell?

 

[OrpingtonManor]

She formed a complete egg with a normal shell. Then, she formed another egg. The membrane was almost completely around the first eggshell. The whole thing was under the roost in a puddle of albumen, with a hint of yolk.

 

[gritsar]

Gee Steff, I wish I could help you. That's really weird. Here's a *bump*. Hope you get help soon.

 

[shandiane78]

I once had a hen that laid weird eggs like this. She laid a HUGE egg once, and it had another complete egg inside it (shell and all). Then another time, was more like what you describe. A second egg formed around the first, but not with a complete shell. Just the membrane.

This hen never turned out to be a very good layer, and she eventually died. I suspect she may have died of a sour crop, but I'm not sure. She just disappeared one day. She had been having problems that pointed to sour crop, but I didn't know what that was at the time. Her crop was large and pendulous, and I saw her vomit. She never came back to roost that day. I'm assuming that would be unrelated to the weird laying issues, but who knows?

Hopefully your gal gets the eggworks all sorted out!

 

[Highlander]

Gosh Steff I'm afraid I don't know either. Hopefully it's just one of those funky glitches that will work itself out. I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep us posted. Try not to worry.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
Maybe it was your thread that I'm remembering. Sorry to hear that your bird didn't have a happy ending. This is the first time Java has laid a weird egg. Yes, she lays big ROUND eggs, but never anything double before. I'll keep a close eye on her. I guess I will have to check her abdomen for egg binding every day she doesn't lay.

But, hopefully, things will be fine.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I know it was hard to post this morning.

 

[shandiane78]

Here are some pics form one of my problem layer's more bizarre creations. This one didn't have a yolk in the surrounding egg, but the egg within an egg did (and also was much larger than this).

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035608&id=1532222269&l=2212d180dd

 

[OrpingtonManor]

thanks for the link! I wish I'd taken a pic of Java's weird egg. If she lays any more of them I'll be sure to grab the camera!

 

[happyhappy]

Most interestin I would have liked to see the egg within the egg! I learn soooo much!