Rubber egg question

[BethMatt]

our hen just started laying a week ago, she has had hard almost perfect eggs until today, she was acting very strange with her tail down & usually our most chatty girl she was really quite, then she stood up & just plopped out this rubber egg right there in the middle of the yard & walked off, is it normal for them to go backwards? I thought they laid these kind first? Also the other one started eating it please help!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

By "rubber" egg are you referring to a shell-less egg? Some folks use the term for those, while others use it to describe what is actually a *lash egg* and the two are very different things with different implications for the bird who has passed it.
Assuming it's the former, that is really no big deal - especially with a new layer. It isn't so much a matter of her "going backwards" as it is just a matter of her system still getting all the kinks worked out so that all the 'moving parts' involved in building and expelling the egg are working in sync.....this can be a period of fits and starts and sometimes one part or the other misses a day in production.

 

[BethMatt]

Yes I mean shell-less, thank you. I wont panic just yet, I was worried that I wasn't giving her what she needed.

 

[ryansmom]

One of my girls did the same thing today despite having full access to layer feed, veggies and treats.....I thought it might be the feed but I have her on the best layer feed TSC has Layena Pellets mixed with Layer crumbles.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

One of my girls did the same thing today despite having full access to layer feed, veggies and treats.....I thought it might be the feed but I have her on the best layer feed TSC has Layena Pellets mixed with Layer crumbles.

The occasional egg with no outer shell is not about a lack of calcium, it is just an indication that the shell gland was not involved in the production of that particular egg. This can happen quite often with a new layer - or a bird coming back into production after a break, but it can also happen now and then in a bird who is in the midst of an active laying cycle.

 

[aart]

our hen just started laying a week ago, she has had hard almost perfect eggs until today, she was acting very strange with her tail down & usually our most chatty girl she was really quite, then she stood up & just plopped out this rubber egg right there in the middle of the yard & walked off, is it normal for them to go backwards? I thought they laid these kind first? Also the other one started eating it

please help!!

I had a pullet do that exact same thing last summer, freaked me out, I thought she was sick just standing around stock still for about 45 minutes.
Then she was fine, doing the usual chickens things, then I found the rubber egg on the floor where she had been standing.

I think it must feel funny/different or something and they're not real sure about the whole egg laying thing anyway for the first month or so.

OGM explained the 'why' of it, just thought I'd share my story too.

 

[BethMatt]

The occasional egg with no outer shell is not about a lack of calcium, it is just an indication that the shell gland was not involved in the production of that particular egg. This can happen quite often with a new layer - or a bird coming back into production after a break, but it can also happen now and then in a bird who is in the midst of an active laying cycle.

Glad to hear it's not a calcium thing, I was so confused, with all the access she needed to Oyster shells & healthy treats!! Hopefully she's better today..

 

[BethMatt]

The occasional egg with no outer shell is not about a lack of calcium, it is just an indication that the shell gland was not involved in the production of that particular egg. This can happen quite often with a new layer - or a bird coming back into production after a break, but it can also happen now and then in a bird who is in the midst of an active laying cycle.

So this morning the same chicken laid another soft shell, along with another hen (her first)...I'm getting alittle concerned about the one that's been laying for over a week now, the past two have been soft, when the first week she had no issues at all...how long does this last??

 

[aart]

Quote: It can take up to a month or so for the reproductive system to smooth out in a new layer,
and sometimes even an older layer coming back into lay after a molt or cessation of lay due to other causes, like brooding.
Some birds are more prone to laying softshells, you can get quite a few soft or thin shelled eggs at first.

 

[BethMatt]

It can take up to a month or so for the reproductive system to smooth out in a new layer,
and sometimes even an older layer coming back into lay after a molt or cessation of lay due to other causes, like brooding.
Some birds are more prone to laying softshells, you can get quite a few soft or thin shelled eggs at first.

Thank you, I feel like you guys are my support system!! I honestly try to make things perfect for them & get a little over worried when things don't seem right...I will wait this out. Thanks again.