shell-less egg

[darncat]

A little background first.....I have 4 RIR's that are about 20 months old. I got them last April and they were all already laying.
This is my first winter with them and the egg laying did cut back to about half (2 eggs or less ) per day. They all appear healthy. I have noticed that in the last 2 weeks I have been getting what appears to be one shell-less egg but only during the night while they are roosting...not in the hen boxes. I am hoping that this is just an adjustment to going back to laying again but have noticed that I am seeing this every few days. Hope someone can give me some insight.

I forgot to mention that i do have a continual source of crushed oyster shell. I am trying not to panic as I have grown so attached to these girls.

 

[Den in Penn]

Posted in wrong thread.

 

[darncat]

Through the winter months I was getting eggs and expected a decrease in eggs since I was not lighting the coop to obtain 14 hrs worth of light. Plus I did have molters right around their 18 month which was in December. Now as the we are going into spring and the days are getting longer I am averaging 3 eggs. However, my fourth egg from one of my RIR's is just yolk and in the roosting area not the hen box. If it would have been a once and done I would have not worried but was hoping that one of the gals is trying to get back on schedule in laying from the winter months. They all appear to be eating fine and look healthy. Would worms cause shell-less egg?

 

[Lapaysannefarm]

I found a blog with somthing like your describing, heres the link : http://cheapchickpoultryfarm.weebly.com/2/post/2012/01/rubber-egg.html

 

[darncat]

thanks for the link. Not what is happening in my situation but good information. Basically when roosting at night...it looks like one is pooing yolk. Not like a true egg in form. I have been trying to find articles like what I have going on here and only thing may be too much salt or not enough calcium in the one hen's diet. I do not know which one it is since this is happening at night while roosting and not in the hen box. I have one hen that the others bully a little when it comes to food so setting up another feeder with laying formula food with added oyster shell along with limiting any extra food in case it is a salt issue. I will post again in a few days and let you all know how it goes in case someone else has the same issue. At least then it can be archived for others to look up.
thanks again!

 

[Chickenjocky]

Mine are dong the same thing. Under the roosts on the poop boards I had three shelless eggs today, and three yesterday. The chickens ate a few of the sacs and smeared the yolk around a bit. If I hadn't of found one whole, I would have thought they were shooting straight yolk. I have 6 rhode island reds, two of which just started laying proper hard shelled eggs, and six buff orpingtons that I suspect are now laying the soft ones until they get their egg laying down right.

 

[darncat]

update...yet another today...however I did find a soft shell sack this morning. As I have been reading about this could be one of different reasons...low salt...too much salt...need more calcium... All the gals look and act healthy. Watching carefully what I feed them in treats at this time and will post any further updates.

 

[dragonchild]

I have been having the same issue with one of six Cuckoo Marans hens that I have. She has been laying over a month, and has produced over 20 shell-less eggs. I've never seen this before (the outside dogs love them--most don't ever hit the ground when I toss to the dogs!) Most are pecked open by the other hens, and the yolk eaten, but once in a while I see one intact. These are almost always under the roosts, but I have found one occasionally out in the pen.

I'm surprised the others haven't gotten into the habit of eating the other eggs, but as long as they're in the nesting boxes, they don't bother them--although one has tried. Fortunately she has chosen the wooden eggs to peck, as a couple have their paint chipped, but it seems to have discouraged her from breaking the ones in the nests!

These were hatchery chicks. Is it possible there's some birth defect inside these hens that continually produce shell-less eggs? Because of this one bird, I offer mine 3 different forms of calcium: chipped oyster shell, crushed oyster shell, and dried, crushes eggshell. Nothing makes a difference. But they have all shown specific preferences for one form or another. (Most like the chips best, then the eggshell, then the crushed.)

 

[Whiterabbit]

I'm having this problem with my Delaware hen she's at least a year now (I'd have to go find the date I got her) and has always been a good layer. She even lays double yoke eggs occasionally. But for the last week she has either not layed, or during the night has "layed" a shell-less egg from the roost and she and the Buff seem to eat the yoke. The Delaware (Xena) has also been going in to the laying box and acts like she will lay for a half-hour even though she already did the night time shell-less egg. Otherwise acting normal and I have checked her vent every day just to make sure there isn't any egg binding or other nonsense.

Nothing has really changed in their diet - though with the early spring in Wisconsin - they have been getting lots of extra protein from worms and bugs. But they haven't been getting any treats as a result because they have so much extra forage just from the backyard. I'm considering supplementing some yogurt in their diet but everyone else is laying just fine and they already are on a feed that has most of the calcium requirements and access to oyster shells.

Any ideas - because what information I have found so far hasn't been super helpful.

Thanks!

 

[kilby]

Could she have pneumonia? Active and eating right are they?
Maybe one ate something poisonous or moldy in the compost.
I have that problem now and again. I thought it was hugging them too hard. Or could also be from my compost. I haven't stopped hugging them but just take it easy with them when picking up and down and everything. There are things they jump off of that are harder to get down from, looks like, so what they do when I am not there might be what jars one loose. I had a funny feeling when picking one up and when I let her go she went in the coop and layed a soft shell. She also ate the soft covering right away and another one tried to eat the yolk in the shavings. Good news is they are laying 3 for three every day mostly. Introducing too much of a new food might have been the trigger. I started giving them ground flax and ground peanut mixture added to their pellets. Another danger too is the ground water is swelling really bad here. You might have heard about BC's problems. Anyway the water above the septic is definitely bad karma for them if they drink it. But that was just a recent problem like this week.
One egg today was more than 2.5 inches long. I was thinking not enough shell for an egg that big maybe. Basically, I don't worry too much as long as they have fresh water, food and enough warmth. I clean out the coop everyday so it cant be bugs or bacteria. I put electrolytes in the water everyday so that covers stressful stimuli as much as can be.
My GSD might give them a fright if they eat her bones or drink her water and that is something we will have to work on too.
I wish you and yours well and a quick recovery.