possible parthenogenesis??

[shley]

Hello. I encountered something very odd and disturbing last night. I have 4 hens enclosed in a chicken run in my backyard. They were all raised as chicks from a hatchery and are just over two years old. One of them is a barred rock and was laying well her first year, but since last autumn has consistently laid soft-shell eggs. After molting and the winter hiatus, she started laying again and made maybe one or two hard shell eggs, but seems to have since gone back to soft eggs. It is hard to tell because she often lays them in the yard and the other birds eat the eggs right away.

Yesterday evening I saw what looked like a dried-up soft shell on the floor of the coop, and nearby was what could only be a baby chicken. Judging from incubation progress charts, I would guess it was at day 19-20. it was featherless, but had identifiable chicken parts: large feet, tiny wings, tail nub, a wide beak with bright yellow flaps on either side. I'd been in the coop earlier in the day and it was not there, and the body was still limp but smelled rotten. The shell was flattened and had hardened in the air. I took pictures that I will share if requested.

There is not a rooster anywhere in the neighborhood.

Is it possible that she had this egg developing inside her for almost three weeks?? She has not been broody, and the location of the chick and soft shell on the floor of the coop means I would've seen it yesterday morning, so I don't think she could've laid it before yesterday. It was atop wood shavings that had been there just a few days. And is it possible that this embryo developed so far without fertilization? A few days ago I noticed a yolky mess under a screen I have for greens to grow in the chicken run and assumed it was this bird's egg and the ladies had not been able to eat it. Is it possible for her to have laid another soft-shelled egg while having the "fertilized" egg still in her??

This is all very mysterious to me and I have no explanation for what could have transpired here. I have seen some threads suggesting that white leghorn and barred rock chickens have demonstrated parthenogenesis but that there hasn't been recent research.

Thank you for any feedback.

 

[Folly's place]

Eggs need to be incubated, either under a broody hen, or in an incubator, for the three weeks it takes chicks to fully develop. You should know if you had a broody hen!
If not, then this is a wild bird baby that landed there, because another critter dropped it, maybe even one of your birds.
Mary

 

[shley]

Here are the photos.... sorry they're not very appealing. Maybe someone can identify the species.

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like a pre-fledge Starling.

 

[shley]

oh! I suppose it could be! I was wondering about the wideness of the mouth.

for size comparison it is in a 6 inch plant tray.

 

[shley]

Thank you for the feedback. I am no longer convinced improbable immaculate conception occurred. Finding it in the coop next to a formerly-laid soft shell really threw me off.