shell-less premature eggs, whats going on?

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I need to know if anybody else has had this problem, and what may be causing it or what may help stop the problem...

So I have found 3 eggs so far, and not all from the same duck, in the duck yard probably from the late afternoon...no big problem, right? well, these eggs are missing their shells, they just have the outer skin it seems, but no hard shell... so you can squish the egg-which is still in an egg form- and not break it, I threw the egg I found yesterday at my compost heap and it bounced off the wall and bounced away without breaking...these things are so weird.

What is going on with the lack of shell? my ducks are on layer pellets, they generally lay very thick shelled eggs at night or early morning and those eggs that I get out of their coop seem great.

ANy help would be appreciated.

 

[Eroc1_1]

Quote:
As our ducks have started to lay, they are having the same issues. I chalk it up to their bodies getting used to laying eggs. I have oyster shell free choice for them. I wouldn't worry about it too much. IMO.

 

[bucky52]

i have five pullets,and this week i have found three eggs that were laid during the night.and their was no shell.i did find a membrane
laying on the floor of the chicken house.they have ascess to oyster shells at all times.and this has happen severals times.i was also wondering what causes this.

 

[Amiga]

This year I am also seeing shell-less eggs, pretty much daily.

The vet says it's low calcium. And the long term concern is that bones, heart, and other tissues also need calcium, and could be affected if the deficiency is not addressed.

One duck, the one who first was laying only eggs without shells, was on neoglucan for a few weeks. She's back to laying regular eggs, at least for the most part. But three or four of the others in my flock of nine are also producing these soft eggs. I get one or two a day.

I offer free choice oyster shell, feed organic laying mash which I moisten with water and a couple of ounces of liquid calcium gluconate. I add some cat kibble to their food. The kibble contains Vitamin D supplements.

I'm reading more reports of these soft eggs this year than I saw last year. Last year I got a few of these, too, but my runners were just a few months old and I chalked it up to new egg laying. But this is the second year.

The ducks do forage around the place. They find many slugs and worms and bugs to eat - I have been wondering if they're just eating so many low calcium critters that their calcium intake is being lowered. I'm not going to confine them and restric their diet to mash only, but I am also trying to find the right combination of foods to keep them healthy in the long term.

Big challenge.

 

[Eroc1_1]

Quote:
This my first year with ducks, so I have no baseline for comparison. So, should also be feeding a layer ration AND free choice oyster shell?

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

ok, so sounds like its just pullets that have had these problems, and it may not be directly related to calcium as I have also been augmenting with oyster shell to no avail... To clarify, does anybody else have older ducks with this problem? Also, does anybody think that this has anything to do with high temperatures?

Thanks for the feedback thus far...

 

[RainmansGirl]

Freaked out first time duck owner here! In April we hatched a Pekin duck, she's been laying for about a week, on Friday she laid her usual egg and then later laid another egg only it was premature and she did not lay the next day. Then this morning she laid her usual egg and just a little while ago my daughter said there was an egg on the middle of the kitchen floor. I don't know what is going on, if there is something I'm doing or not doing. Please someone give me something! Pics are included! The first one with the "tail" is from Friday, the second is from this afternoon, it was still warm when I picked it up!!!

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[casportpony]

Freaked out first time duck owner here! In April we hatched a Pekin duck, she's been laying for about a week, on Friday she laid her usual egg and then later laid another egg only it was premature and she did not lay the next day. Then this morning she laid her usual egg and just a little while ago my daughter said there was an egg on the middle of the kitchen floor. I don't know what is going on, if there is something I'm doing or not doing. Please someone give me something! Pics are included! The first one with the "tail" is from Friday, the second is from this afternoon, it was still warm when I picked it up!!!

[/URL]

Welcome to BYC!

Is she an indoor duck? What are you feeding her?

-Kathy

 

[RainmansGirl]

She is, we hatched and brooded her indoors, she is a single duck no other ducks in our flock, she does spend days outdoors most of the day. She had been on starter feed but because she started laying(we weren't quite prepared since during research everything I read said 6months and she is only 4) we switched to layer feed. She enjoys peas as a treat and at bedtime. The rest of her diet consists totally of whatever she can forage, Cheerios every once in a while, and cat food when she finds it! She doesn't seem ill at all, she's been very active and has a hearty appetite as always. Also, I noticed after making this post she has what looks the same as membrane that was hanging on the first egg hanging from her vent. As I've said she is behaving normally, she doesn't seem sickly, and has a hearty appetite.

 

[RainmansGirl]