Monster egg......then nothing

[lrach73]

I have five girls, about 22 weeks old. My black sexlink starting laying almost three weeks ago and with the exception of one day, has given us one egg per day. They are about the size of a store-bought "medium".

A second chicken laid an egg last week and it was enormous (see picture.....the egg on the left is from the sexlink, the egg in the middle is a store bought extra large and the egg on the right is the monster egg). But that's been it, nothing since then from her.

The egg she laid had a double yolk in it too! It was crazy big.

Is it normal for them to go several days between eggs in the beginning?

 

[azygous]

What has her behavior been since she laid that stellar egg? The double yolk and the monster size both have me concerned that she may be prone to releasing double ovum concurrently. This sets her up for reproductive issues as these conditions can lead to stuck eggs.

You will know if she's having issues if you see her standing about on the sidelines with her tail held low and flat, barely moving. This may happen closely following a huge egg or a shell-less egg.

I don't mean to alarm you or lead you to believe she is doomed to have reproductive problems. You just need to keep an eye on her laying patterns and behavior. If you see the warning signs I described, give her a people calcium tablet, up to 400mg per day until you see her behavior return to normal.

If she continues to lay these jumbo double-yolk eggs, but her behavior is normal, there is no cause for concern.

 

[lrach73]

What has her behavior been since she laid that stellar egg? The double yolk and the monster size both have me concerned that she may be prone to releasing double ovum concurrently. This sets her up for reproductive issues as these conditions can lead to stuck eggs.

You will know if she's having issues if you see her standing about on the sidelines with her tail held low and flat, barely moving. This may happen closely following a huge egg or a shell-less egg.

I don't mean to alarm you or lead you to believe she is doomed to have reproductive problems. You just need to keep an eye on her laying patterns and behavior. If you see the warning signs I described, give her a people calcium tablet, up to 400mg per day until you see her behavior return to normal.

If she continues to lay these jumbo double-yolk eggs, but her behavior is normal, there is no cause for concern.

I don't actually know who laid it, but all of them are behaving normally. I will keep an eye on them and give calcium if I notice the behavior your describe. Would giving them oyster shell help? The shells have been nice a thick, so I haven't added oyster shell yet.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

New layers are can be very inconsistent with their new laying behaviors. Once their system becomes regulated, they will lay on a regular schedule and will lay similar eggs each time. Be sure that oyster shell is offered in a separate container than with their regular rationed feed. Good luck with your flock! Enjoy those fresh eggs!

 

[Criticalicious]

It doesn't hurt to offer oyster shell on the side, even if they're on layer feed with perfect eggs. If they don't need it, they'll ignore it or only eat what they need. (It's not like the bag of shell will go bad or lose nutrients.) Without sufficient calcium in the diet, their bodies will pull calcium out of their bones to make those nice hard egg shells. So by the time you see soft-shell eggs, it's really late. Another thing you can do is, feed their egg shells back to them for added calcium.

 

[azygous]

As @Chick-N-Fun and @Criticalicious both mentioned, it's wise to add oyster shell as free choice even though the eggs are of very good quality.

Each hen has her own particular calcium needs, and sometimes layer feed doesn't meet those needs. Also, sometimes even oyster shell won't be enough for a hen who is having trouble absorbing calcium she consumes. You'll suspect this if you see a sequence of thin or shell-less eggs. That's when you need to treat with people calcium, either calcium citrate (my choice) or calcium carbonate.

Having this type of calcium supplement on hand is crucial if you ever have an egg-bound hen. The calcium, along with extra hydration, can often help the hen expel the egg.

 

[aart]

Is it normal for them to go several days between eggs in the beginning?

She's like..."no way am I doing that again!!"
Seriously, I'd not worry unless a bird starts acting ill.

Perfect time to start doing butt checks,
should be able to tell who the second layer is,
and get an idea of what a 'normal' vent looks like.....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/