One of my girls laid an egg with no shell in their run today...?

[TLHloveschicks]

Any thoughts on why a year old hen would lay an egg with no shell? I have 12 girls that turned one year old in February this year. I raised them from chicks. They have a large run and coop. I feed them Purina Layena and have been feeding that with oyster shell in a bowl beside their feed. I found an egg with just a membrane around it today in their run.....I haven't seen one of these since they were just beginning to lay last year. Any thoughts on why this would happen? I hope nothing is wrong I take really good care of them and keep everything clean and feed full, water fresh, poop picked up daily.

 

[Freeloading slacker]

Normally this only happens when the chickens don't have oyster shells. Maybe she doesn't know that it's there. I would suggest mixing the oyster shells in with their food. I have also heard it could be if the hen was was stressed or startled.

 

[aart]

Any thoughts on why this would happen?

It can happen on occasion.
They often are not laid in nests because they 'feel' different and pop out wherever.
I'd not worry about it unless it happens often.
Are they consuming the OS?

I would suggest mixing the oyster shells in with their food.

Not a good idea, as some don't need the 'extra'.

 

[TLHloveschicks]

It can happen on occasion.
They often are not laid in nests because they 'feel' different and pop out wherever.
I'd not worry about it unless it happens often.
Are they consuming the OS?


Not a good idea, as some don't need the 'extra'.

Yes aart they do have extra oyster shell in a bowl next to their feed...thank you for the reply it has not happened again....I think that their calcium phosphorous ratio was mixed up because of the fact that they had been getting in our garden and my husband had put down some dolomite limestone and it had thrown off their nutrient balance so I have left them penned for a few days while my husband puts up a fence...

 

[TLHloveschicks]

Normally this only happens when the chickens don't have oyster shells. Maybe she doesn't know that it's there. I would suggest mixing the oyster shells in with their food. I have also heard it could be if the hen was was stressed or startled.

Hi Freeloading thank you for responding...I think it was due to the fact that they had gotten in my husbands garden and he had put out some dolomite & lime after I read about it I saw how their calcium ratios could be affected dramatically by consuming any of that so I have left them penned up for a few days...it hasn't happened since...we are fencing off the garden also.