Our hen laid 2 x 1/2 eggs...

[abenardini]

She's really pissed to be in isolation.

You sound like wonderful people. Glad she’s got you as chicken parents. Hope she feels better soon!

 

[Zud]

I agree that it might be good to give her some calcium citrate +D3 for at least a few days. You can get it in the vitamin section at Walmart or most pharmacies. I have seen @azygous recommend one pill a day. You can just pop it in her beak and she will swallow it.

No Walmarts here, (happy for it) NYC hasn't allowed, though that doesn't mean the mom and pop always survive... We do have plenty of oyster shells we can smash up, being an island town. She's perked up and took at least today off laying.

 

[Zud]

You're not kidding darn lucky! We did some googling after the fact and realized what a problem it could have been. We think she might be prone to laying double yolks (might be the second in as many days), and this thin shelled one just spit. lt's just that the split was so precise that had us baffled. I couldn't have cut such a clean break on the shell with a knife! They seem to have been skipping proper feed in hopes of getting out in the yard so we're keeping them in a bit and making sure they're eating the feed in the mornings before we let them out. So far no more troubles and happy healthy hens. Will report if things change.

Also throwing all the calcium options we have on hand at them. We did some limestone in sour cream and those oyster shells ..

 

[Zud]

So... We took her to the vet today and she's got a number of undeveloped eggs backed up... Pumping in suppliments. Hopefully she starts passing them safely.

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

Our Barred Plymouth Rock, Jane Aust-Hen, is 19 weeks and started laying this week. This afternoon she was unusually lethargic. Finally she climbed into a nesting box and laid an egg with a very thin shell, and part of the shell missing.
She kept moping around until she finally laid "the other half", which has a second yolk.
After a while she finally perked up and was back to normal. We're chalking the lethargy up to begin tired from the double lay... We fed her some limestone in sour cream to make sure she's getting enough calcium.
Is there anything that comes to mind that might be an issue to watch out for?
I attached a photo of her egg(s). That's how they laned.

Thanks!

Part of it may be her body adjusting to laying. It’s not unusual for newbies to lay double yoked eggs, shells all different shapes or no shells. It will probably straighten itself out. I do provide my chickens with oyster shell though.

 

[Zud]

Did they do an xray?
Where are the eggs?
This video names the parts of the reproductive system:

They did an x-ray. She had at least 3 somewhere in the oviduct (I didn't see the x-ray, my wife did). She's passed one yolk so far and has been given a hormone to stop her from laying for a month so this doesn't get worse. Chickens, amirite?

 

[Zud]

She's really pissed to be in isolation.

 

[Zud]

Wow! A hen that lays half eggs! Now, what a marvel it would be if she produced them already soft boiled! Now that would be worth phoning up the Guiness people to get her in the book.

Okay, sorry, it's been a long day in the hot sun. Seriously, I would do as @TX Chick Noob suggested, give her a calcium citrate tablet each day until she's kicking out one normal egg at a time. She's darned lucky she didn't break those yolks inside her trying to expel them. She'd be looking at a reproductive infection from bacteria growing in the yolk in her oviduct.

I recommend the citrate form of calcium because it's most easily digested and quickly absorbed, what we need in a reproductive crisis. This is what to get. One tablet per day directly in her beak. She will swallow it easily.View attachment 3260488

You're not kidding darn lucky! We did some googling after the fact and realized what a problem it could have been. We think she might be prone to laying double yolks (might be the second in as many days), and this thin shelled one just spit. lt's just that the split was so precise that had us baffled. I couldn't have cut such a clean break on the shell with a knife! They seem to have been skipping proper feed in hopes of getting out in the yard so we're keeping them in a bit and making sure they're eating the feed in the mornings before we let them out. So far no more troubles and happy healthy hens. Will report if things change.