Shell-less egg

[Deezer]

Our young, happy and healthy white leghorn laid this morning around 10am. Got home tonight around 10pm and found a shell-less egg in the coop. What happened??????

 

[nuthatched]

What's her diet and has she been laying long? You'll get an odd egg every now and then, it doesn't necessarily mean somethings wrong. Do you just have one bird that lays white?

 

[azygous]

It would be useful to know her age. Also if she is molting.

Does she get access to oyster shell?

What are you feeding her besides her regular feed? A lot of spinach and other greens?

 

[azygous]

Get some of this if you are in the US.

I nag everyone here to get some and keep it handy in the run. At the first sign of a thin shell or a shell-less egg, pop a tablet directly into her beak.

If a hen is spending more than an hour on a nest without laying an egg, pop a tablet in her beak.

If a hen is standing motionless in the run with her tail down low and not being vocal, perhaps staring at nothing, ignoring her pals, pop a tablet into her beak.

The calcium, especially if it's the citrate form, stimulates contractions to get a stubborn egg out. It is absorbed quickly and this is crucial in an emergency such as egg binding. It will also quickly boost calcium levels to avoid sudden death syndrome where a hen has a heart attack because an egg hitting the shell gland can find no calcium to make a shell so it sucks all the calcium out of her blood instead.

It's the most important first aid item you can have on hand for your laying hens.

 

[picklestheduck]

Get some of this if you are in the US. View attachment 3236131I nag everyone here to get some and keep it handy in the run. At the first sign of a thin shell or a shell-less egg, pop a tablet directly into her beak.

If a hen is spending more than an hour on a nest without laying an egg, pop a tablet in her beak.

If a hen is standing motionless in the run with her tail down low and not being vocal, perhaps staring at nothing, ignoring her pals, pop a tablet into her beak.

The calcium, especially if it's the citrate form, stimulates contractions to get a stubborn egg out. It is absorbed quickly and this is crucial in an emergency such as egg binding. It will also quickly boost calcium levels to avoid sudden death syndrome where a hen has a heart attack because an egg hitting the shell gland can find no calcium to make a shell so it sucks all the calcium out of her blood instead.

It's the most important first aid item you can have on hand for your laying hens.

Can I do this for a duck too? One of my ducks spent a long time in the nesting box the other day… she almost looked like she was straining but perked back up later and has been ok for a few days… but I figured I’d rather be safe than sorry…

 

[azygous]

Absolutely. Ducks are poultry and lay eggs that put demands on their calcium levels. Geese, too.

 

[Deezer]

What's her diet and has she been laying long? You'll get an odd egg every now and then, it doesn't necessarily mean somethings wrong. Do you just have one bird that lays white?

Her diet is layer crumbles and plenty of fruits/ veggies. She’s about 2 1/2 years old, laying for just under 2. It’s not so much the shell-less egg, it’s that I found a second egg within 12 hours.

 

[Deezer]

It would be useful to know her age. Also if she is molting.

Does she get access to oyster shell?

What are you feeding her besides her regular feed? A lot of spinach and other greens?

She’s about 2 1/2 years old. She’s been dropping a few feathers but not completely molting. It’s not really the shell-less egg that surprised me, it’s finding a second egg within 12 hours

 

[Kodadakota]

Low calcium levels can cause an shell less eggs

 

[nuthatched]

Her diet is layer crumbles and plenty of fruits/ veggies. She’s about 2 1/2 years old, laying for just under 2. It’s not so much the shell-less egg, it’s that I found a second egg within 12 hours.

Cut out the fruits and veggies to twice a week, believe it or not, some vegetables affect calcium absorption.