Shelless egg with membrane and double yolks?

[Sparklewina]

Effie laid her very first egg three or four days ago. Alas it was a freaky shelless one with the yolk on the OUTSIDE. I now this is common in first-time layers so I kept a watch on her and was relieved when she laid her first normal, beautiful egg yesterday.

However this morning I found another shelless affair, again with a yolk on the outside - AND one on the inside - of the membrane. I am a bit concerned in that she laid a normal egg yesterday and then this one in the night. Is this normal? She appears normal - is on layer feed and is offered oyster shell (though none of my chickens are interested in it?).

Effie is a Black Australorp. Should I be worried she could have egg peritontis?

 

[bobchristenson]

I'm seeing something similar but I can't determine if it's the same layer (a sex-link) or a different chicken. One is giving us consistent daily (small) eggs, but I often find a shell-less one and we had one double-yolker (in the shell).

Wondering about this too...

 

[Sparklewina]

I still need some insight on this matter. No more freaky eggs since my last post but no regular ones from Effie either. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Sparklewina]

I don't have much to offer - what I do know are that fart-eggs are common in younger chickens when they first start laying, and are usually yolkless. Smaller eggs are normal for a new layer. Some hens are prone to laying double yolkers and sometimes the lack of shell can indicate a calcium deficiency. But all of these factors together have me stumped, especially in Effie's case as her sisters lay healthy, shelled eggs, and she has access to excellent nutrition (she gets an organic layer feed in the morning after she's had an early-morning forage, she has access to calcium too).

Some hens are prone to laying shelless eggs no matter what and in the egg industry they would be killed. Obviously I'm not going to do that to my hen - I am wondering if this habit can cause health problems though.

 

[Chickiemom25]

I have one who lays consistently good eggs and one who keeps laying shell- less eggs. I am convinced the offending hen eats too many treats and not enough calcium because when I give her liquid calcium, she lays good eggs.