Smaller and smaller eggs - what could be wrong?

[vermontgal]

My production red laid almost only XL eggs about a month ago. Her eggs have slowly been getting smaller. In the last 2 weeks she was laying Large eggs. In the past couple days, she is just barely into size L. In the egg diary, I record this as L-. (Large minus). She is 9 months old, and she has been laying for about 3 months. Her eggs are now the same size, or smaller, than her eggs were when she first started laying.

I am wondering if there might be something wrong with her that I should be noticing? She seems healthy, alert. She is slight in body compared to the other chickens, but I do not think this is a change. Any ideas? Things to check?

Here she is a couple weeks ago:

 

[dani2]

Some of my chickens in the very early stages of laying will lay large double yoke eggs but after a while they just kind of average out not sure if this is why your hen is doing it but usually in the beginning they are very large or very small.

 

[vermontgal]

I have never had a double yolk egg from her (nor from anyone else!) Her first eggs were just over size large (2 oz), about the size she is laying now, or a little bigger. Within the first month, they ramped up to size XL, or L+. I did not have an eggs scale for her first 2-3 weeks of laying. Now she is at L- and this is definitely a change.

 

[wyliefarms]

She might be regulating and getting into a groove finally? If she appears healthy other wise, I wouldn't worry.

 

[vermontgal]

I guess I am worried because my EE (who died suddenly 3 weeks ago) started laying smaller eggs right before she died. She didn't appear sick until I found her keeled over dead.

I sort of think she had something wrong with her, genetically, because she tended to have liquidy poops compared to the other girls. (As a chick, she was known as Juicy Poops until she got her adult name.) In the past 3 weeks since she died, the coop seems markedly drier and less poopy.

Anyhow, because of my experience with Liona dying, I am probably extra inclined to worry about the change in Sarah's egg size.

 

[realmofthewoodsranch]

Check for worms, that's a common cause of liquid poo, and if one chicken had worms, the others might, too.

 

[vermontgal]

Thanks for the suggestion on worms as a possibility. I've never seen any sign of worms, and Liona had liquidy-poops for her whole life (7 months). I think it was a problem with her liver/kidneys. The other girls's poops are completely fine and normally solid. I did just give the chickens some pumpkin seeds as a low-key precaution/maintenance.

I should find out my options for a fecal test, though. I know any vet can do it - it's a question of how many arms and legs they want for it.

 

[realmofthewoodsranch]

Hopefully it won't cost any legs...