Now THIS is Weird! Egg with No Shell, No Membrane Found

[speckledhen]

As you know, I have Suede, my Blue Orp cockerel, in a pen with my Lt Brahma, Buff Brahma and Velvet, the Blue Orp pullet. Miranda, the Lt. Brahma, has been laying for three weeks or so, every day, a normal, although small egg. She did it again first thing this morning. Velvet is 25 weeks old and the Buff Brahma is a few days younger, and I've not had an egg from either one of them. Till tonight.
Tonight when I go to lock them inside for the night, out in the pen on the ground I find an egg. A double yolked egg with white, but no membrane and no shell. It was like it was cracked into a frying pan, just laying on the ground. I assume it belongs to Velvet since her comb and wattles are red and she's older than the Buff Brahma. I upended both of them and see nothing wrong, no crushed shell hanging out or anything. They have feed with calcium plus free choice crushed eggshells and limestone calcium in a dish, which I see them eat all the time, so it shouldn't be a feed problem.
Can this just be the weirdest first pullet egg in history? Just a weird, shelless, membraneless egg? In all the time I've raised chickens, I've only once had an egg without a shell, but this one had no membrane, either! Never saw that before! Do you think there's a problem? Should I just keep an eye on her? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[silkiechicken]

That is odd! Hope the hen is ok. My guess would be it had a leathery egg, and upon exit, popped open and left what you saw, and the leathery part dropped off elsewhere.

 

[speckledhen]

I didn't see anything else beside the yolk and white laying there, and the pen is pretty small for just those few birds. I wish I'd taken a picture of it, but I was concentrating on getting it out of sight so none of them would get the bright idea to eat it! Come to think of it, I'm sure it belongs to the Blue Orp because when I upended both girls, her vent was wide and oval whereas the Buff Brahma's was still puckered up and tight. As long as it's just a glitch with her first egg and she lays normally from here on out, at least she's laying finally, LOL. About time, the little slacker! Several people are waiting for hatching eggs from that group.

 

[Marmalute]

That happened to us a few times. What you do is go to your feed store and get some oyster shells. It wouldn't hurt to get some sand to throw in their run too. Don't get any "play" sand that they sell for kids that's sometimes treated.
They need some "grit" to make the shells form. And crushed oyster shells, sand, and even very tiny gravel will help. Don't worry your chickens are fine. They just don't have what John Wayne would say "true grit"

 

[speckledhen]

They do have alot of grit in the pen. It's very rocky in there. Actually, grit is for grinding the food in the crop and the calcium (oyster shell or limestone) is for the shell formation. Honestly, that isnt the problem, the grit or the calcium as there is plenty of both for her and has been since the other pullet began laying a month ago. I was just hoping nothing was stuck inside her, this being her very first egg.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, something stuck inside would be my worst fear. But, if there was something, hopefully it's out by now.

 

[Sharona]

Could also be that her system has been trying to get started and THIS abnormal egg has had her a little plugged up. Hopefully, this cleared her system and she'll start dropping eggs regularly now.

 

[speckledhen]

Maybe so, Sharon! In any case, Velvet is laying! I'm hoping tomorrow, I get a normal egg from her and then we're just waiting on Miss Caroline to get started. It won't be long now till you have you some Suede babies!

 

[jackiedon]

I have never heard of it in my life. I had never heard of a shellless egg until I read on BYC and then when I went on vacation one of my friends found one. Her mother, who has raised chickens all her life, said that sometimes they just get in a hurry and lay it. But if that's true WOW your hen really was in a hurry.

Please keep us up dated.

jackie

 

[justusnak]

Wow Cynthia....I do hope your girl is ok...I have never seen an egg layed like that. I have seen several soft shell...and membrane eggs, ( we call them rubber eggs). Hope she is alright now....maybe just was in a hurry to get that one out? LOL