Small, yolkless egg - why?

[Bells]

One of our hens, I'm not sure which, laid a half-size egg without a yolk. The hens are from 11-18 months old. One, a Jersey Giant, doesn't lay regularly in the winter. Is this just her system starting up as the days lengthen?? Could it have been laid by one hen who is the far and away favorite of the two roosters (read: bred frequently and starting to look shabby - we moved her to a friend's house today)? Thanks!

 

[chickflick]

It just happens sometimes. Are they getting enough calcium?? Add oyster shell to their diet. I still get them every once in awhile. Yesterday I got this tiny little blue egg....looks like a robins. I think it's just Fancy starting up again after a break.

 

[Bells]

Thanks! I was hoping they just throw an odd one now and then. I add crushed shell to their pellets but don't know the correct amount. Any help? A feed store chicken raisin' woman told me layer pellets had adequate calcium and there was no need to supplement. Is this inaccurate? Thanks.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Sometimes when they molt or need a rest from laying they will spill out what is called a wind egg...just means she is taking a rest from laying for awhile.....I would up her protein some with scramble eggs ...(a can of cat food or tuna once in a blue moon)

 

[Picco]

I get one of those once in a while and my hens are perfectly healthy and receive a good diet (but you should reevaluate anyway just to make sure). You can think of a hen's reproductive tract as an assembly line: first the yolk is made, then the white, and then it is covered by the shell and then it is laid in the nest box. Sometimes things get a little mixed up in there and go along at the wrong speed or order and mistake eggs are made. Your hen should go back to normal laying soon. My old layers were SL wyandottes who laid huge brown eggs and I would get an egg the size of a sparrow's once in a while that only had the white in it.

 

[akbufflady]

I have gotten 2 wind eggs within the last couple of months.
My girls are 11 months old, Buff Orpingtons & Americaunas.
The buffs are the ones giving me the wind eggs. DH says someone sneezed and that popped out, since the first one was found on the floor by the feeder. LOL
About half of my girls are starting to molt, which I didn't think would happen until way later maybe next fall. I'm thinking that since they are starting to molt that, that was the reason for the small wind eggs. Maybe not.
I do give oyster shells free choice, feed free choice. I don't assume that the feed has everything they need.
We are in Alaska so my girls unfortunately have been locked in their coop since late October. So they are on timed lighting. Sometimes I think they just do their own thing regardless of what we want them to do.
Don't worry about it as long as everyone looks healthy.
Since you stated that they are 11 - 18 months old they might be starting to molt/moult.

 

[silkiechicken]

Theoretically, if your hens get no treats and no free range time, the feed is 100% of what they need for productoin. However, not many here coop them up as such, and so extras are always good, but not too much since their feed should be balanced, and too much treats can be like too much candy for us. Oyster shell just goes on the side and they eat it when they need it.

 

[Bells]

Thanks for the replies. We're on a steep learning curve and this forum is a definite help!
Bells

 

[Nichole77]

Maybe she just doesn't like you.