One of 7 hens laying only shell-less eggs x 2 months.

[JodiInOregon]

I have a very small black star who has been laying a daily shell-less egg for 2-3 months now. She also has multiple bald patches, looks like she's in molt, but that has lasted for 2-3 months as well with no further changes to her appearance. She's otherwise acting perfectly normal; active, eats and drinks fine. None of my other 6 girls show either of these symptoms (although I do think a few of them may be starting an early molt right now).

Is this Egg Drop Syndrome? Would that also account for her severe molt appearance during the wrong season and for so long? I was under the impression that EDS was rare in the U.S. and that the shell-less eggs situation would abate after several weeks, but she hasn't laid a normal egg in months now; only the daily shell-less.

Thanks for any help/advice!

 

[Kiki]

What type of feed, including the brand name do you feed?
Treats?

Have you checked her over at night with a flash light for lice and or mites?

 

[JodiInOregon]

I check all the girls regularly, and nope, no mites or lice (have had both before, but none lately). On feed, they're getting Purina Organic layer pellets, and occasionally get a little scratch/grain mix (usually the "Cluck Yeah" or one of those other organic mixes), and some dried meal worms. I go easy on the snacks, though. They also "free-range" our suburban (fenced) back yard during the day for awhile most days. The thing I don't understand is, she's the only one with these symptoms. The others look, act, and lay perfectly normally.

Also, poops all look normal, no signs of worms or blood. Just her various bald patches and the shell-less eggs. She's still very active and seems fine otherwise. Edited to add: I'm home during the day and never see her getting pecked by or picked on by any of the other girls. There is a normal, minor amount of them getting "pecking order" snooty with each other now and then, but I don't see any actual feather pulling or attacking going on during the day, nor catch any such behaviors when I check on them at dusk in the coop. I'm baffled here.

 

[adickenscoop]

It could be a number of different reproductive issues. Here is a useful tool to use to help rule out the possibilities, it is a chicken symptom checker tool developed by PoultryDVM. Here are a few case stories about chickens that have have laid shell-less eggs, and what they ultimately were diagnosed with.

Aduzki Bean's Ovarian Cancer - http://www.poultrydvm.com/cases/adzuki-bean
Titch's Hormone Implants - http://www.poultrydvm.com/cases/titch

 

[Kiki]

Can you try to offer her some oyster shell on the side and see if that helps her "shells?"

Can you post a pic of her too please.

 

[JodiInOregon]

It could be a number of different ...

This was very helpful! Thank you so much! I still don't have it narrowed down, but this gave me some possibilities to consider and try treating for.

 

[JodiInOregon]

Can you try to offer her some oyster shell on the side and see if that helps her "shells?"

Can you post a pic of her too please.

I forgot to mention, I do keep a small separate container of oyster shell in their pen, although I haven't paid close attention yet to whether this particular girl eats it at all. I'll try to grab a photo of her to post after a bit. Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @JodiInOregon Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your hen and the eggs?
How old is she?
Did she ever have any signs of illness when she was younger - coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc.?

A defective shell gland, disturbances/frights that cause a hen to lay an egg before the calcification of the shell is finished, predators, calcium/vitamin/nutritional deficiency, excess salt, certain diseases (Infectious Bronchitis, respiratory illnesses) and internal/external parasites (lice/mites/worms) are few causes of shell-less eggs.

See that she is eating/drinking well, you may want to add poultry vitamins once a week to her water. Oyster shell free choice is good, but if she is not consuming any or is having trouble absorbing nutrients, you may want to direct dose her for a couple of weeks to see if there is any improvement - you can give her 1/2tablet of Calcium like Caltrate daily.

Disturbances in the flock can cause some issues- watch to see if there is squabbling during the day over nesting boxes and at night during roosting. Also observe their behavior for any indication that a predator is about. Fox, raccoon, snake, hawks, etc. are about during the day as well as nighttime. Also if your flock is like mine (my rooster) thinks a squirrel is something to be wary of as well - sometimes it's not a "true predator" in the sense we human have, but chickens can have other ideas - something as simple as a tarp flapping in the wind can be a disturbance.

If she has any history of respiratory illness when she was younger, this can affect egg laying as well. Check her over for signs of lice/mites and consider having a fecal sample tested for worms just to rule those out.

Reproductive problems can also be the culprit - something like a shell gland defect is possible as well. There's not much that can be done for that. Just keep an eye on her, to see that she is laying the whole egg - soft and shell less eggs can be hard to lay and sometimes can leak/break which can make them sick.

Keep us posted.

 

[JodiInOregon]

Hi @JodiInOregon Welcome To BYC

Thank you for your reply. The only other difference between her and my other hens is that she is a bit smaller. But she's never shown any signs of infection nor infestation, activity has always been good, as has appetite, drinks fine, etc. Her shell-less eggs thus far have always been laid either with membrane, or sometimes even with a very soft shell, seem to always be laid intact (but often then partly eaten by the other girls before I get to them, of course). She's never laid a lash egg, her eyes are clear and bright, comb and wattles look good, normal poops, no vent discharge, no respiratory symptoms, ... just assorted bald patches, which may be nothing more than the other girls picking on her (but I never see it happen with her), and the soft-shelled/shell-less eggs x 2-3 months now. You may be right that she may have some defect, although she's 2-1/2 years old now and, prior to a few months ago, she always laid very normal (albeit large, for her size) eggs.

I'm going to be more diligent about keeping oyster shell available at all times, mix some calcium powder into their treats and watch to make sure she gets some, and I'll add vitamins, electrolytes, and some probiotics to their water for awhile, All the girls seem to be starting molt early this year, anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to give them all a boost right now. Thanks again!