Shell-less egg?

[WesterBee]

My light Brahma pullet is 26 weeks old this week and is having much more trouble getting in the swing of laying than the others did. Her first egg was laid in the run by the feed, like she was eating and it just popped out unexpectedly. I had seen her in the nest box earlier that day (2/6) but there was no egg at the nighttime shut in and I didn’t discover the ground egg until the next morning.
The following day (2/7) she didn’t lay and didn’t go into the boxes.
The third day (2/8) she laid two full size eggs off of the roost in the wee morning hours at 3am which I discovered cracked and broken on the board below that morning.
The following three days (2/9 - 2/11) I was so happy to see that she had laid a beautiful egg in the nest box each days and thought she had sorted herself out.
Yesterday she did not lay and this morning I found yolk and white mixed in with the nighttime dropping but no shell. Thinking perhaps one of them gobbled it up I reviewed my camera footage from overnight and it seems this egg came out with no shell at all.
The girls eat a commercial mixed flock feed with access to oyster shell and limestone and I have seen this particular bird gobbling both up. I change their water daily and treats are limited but they do get access to range the yard a few times a week and scratch up the grass starts and other young greenery.
I’m going to get some calcium in her but after all my reading I’m curious how worried I should be that shell bits are stuck inside of her, I know this can be a serious issue. Attached are photos of the shell-less egg from today.
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she acting normal?
If she is, I wouldn't be too worried about shell bit stuck inside. She would be acting off.

With some pullets it can take a while to work out all that plumbing.
Calcium Citrate with D3, popped right into the beak is what I'd give for 3-5 days, no more. See if that helps regulate her.

Do check her over for lice/mites too.

 

[WesterBee]

@Wyorp Rock Thanks for always coming to the rescue on my posts, your advice is always so helpful and appreciated!

She is acting normal, nothing seems off with her behavior at all so that is reassuring. I’ll get her dosed with some calcium and do a thorough lice/mite check and report back.

Thank you again!

 

[Sally PB]

I’ll get her dosed with some calcium

If you gently pull down on her wattles, she will open her beak wide and you can pop the calcium pill in. Stuff it in far enough so that she reflexively swallows.

 

[WesterBee]

If you gently pull down on her wattles, she will open her beak wide and you can pop the calcium pill in. Stuff it in far enough so that she reflexively swallows.

This is helpful, thank you!!!

 

[WesterBee]

Is she acting normal?
If she is, I wouldn't be too worried about shell bit stuck inside. She would be acting off.

With some pullets it can take a while to work out all that plumbing.
Calcium Citrate with D3, popped right into the beak is what I'd give for 3-5 days, no more. See if that helps regulate her.

Do check her over for lice/mites too.

Welp upon closer inspection we do appear to be dealing with either lice or mites (EW!!!). While I didn’t find any on the Brahma I found this gross lil bugger on one of the others and now my skin is absolutely crawling and I’m considering shaving my head
Crazy because I pick them up and look through their feathers every week but I guess you don’t know what you’re looking for until you know!

Obviously I will treat the whole gang but I have a couple of questions. Two have dirty behinds which I can’t believe I didn’t notice being out with them everyday, this should have been my first sign! Should I try to soak that off?
Second, my local farm store has this poultry dust in stock, should I use this?
I knew the day would come for a pest but gosh this is just so gross!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welp upon closer inspection we do appear to be dealing with either lice or mites (EW!!!). While I didn’t find any on the Brahma I found this gross lil bugger on one of the others and now my skin is absolutely crawling and I’m considering shaving my head
Crazy because I pick them up and look through their feathers every week but I guess you don’t know what you’re looking for until you know!

Obviously I will treat the whole gang but I have a couple of questions. Two have dirty behinds which I can’t believe I didn’t notice being out with them everyday, this should have been my first sign! Should I try to soak that off?
Second, my local farm store has this poultry dust in stock, should I use this?
I knew the day would come for a pest but gosh this is just so gross!

Looks like a Louse/Lice.

So yes, the Garden and Poultry Dust will work on those. For dust I dump the powder in a sock, then use that as a "powder puff". Tap the sock over the feathers to release the dust, then work that through the feathers all the way down to the skin. I usually dust the whole bird this way, but make sure to get around the vent, top of the tail, under those wings, etc. and don't forget to get the neck, head, under the beak, etc.
I store my sock in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Be sure to label your container so you know what it is. I just keep it with my chicken supplies.

Wearing some gloves and a mask is a good idea when dusting/treating the hens. They will go shake off any excess.

Now...in addition to the dust. I do buy the Permethrin 10 concentrate and mix it according to the booklet/directions. This is what I use to treat the coop/housing, roosting bars/nesting boxes, etc.

While lice mainly live on the birds, they do migrate around, get shook off, etc. so treating housing is a very good idea.

I don't really have a problem with mites or lice but try to spray/treat my coops/housing/wood surfaces a few times a year just in case something is brewing. I wait until a nice dry(ish) day where the spray will dry fairly quickly. Do make sure you've got plenty of ventilation when spraying and wearing a mask and gloves is always a good idea too.

 

[WesterBee]

@Wyorp Rock Thank you SO much for this experienced advice! This is all very, very helpful and I so appreciate you taking the time! My local Wilco is about 20 miles away so will go pick up the dust tomorrow but it looks like I’ll have to source the Permethrin 10 elsewhere. I’ll look around and see if someone else in town is selling it.

I’m sorry to flood you with questions, it’s just really nice to be able to talk this one through vs just googling but no pressure to answer, I know everyone has a life outside of the internet!

Should I wash the crusty butts off?
If I can’t get something to treat the coop tomorrow or, if I can and this winter storm warning brings weather, should I wait to treat the girls until I have something for the coop or just double up treatments?
Is it a one and done or should I plant to retreat anyway?
Why are people so keen on Elector PSP?

You’re the absolute best for taking the time, me and my gals thank you a million!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can dust them now and source your housing treatment at another time if necessary.
The Lice live on the hens for the most part, so dusting them will start taking them down.
Repeat dustings in 5-7 day intervals.

You can wash the hen's butts if you wish. If your weather is turning cold, then you'll want to dry them really well or wait for washing when it's going to be a nice day.

I've never used Elector PSP, not sure why it's so popular. It's expensive.
So far, Permethrin based products have worked for me, so I'll just stick with those.