Soft egg out of nowhere

[coledabomb]

We have a pullet we don’t know her age or breed but she’s pretty small and we got her a few days ago. Yesterday she laid a egg and today she was walking around and her egg hole was throbbing and it looked like she was going to lay an egg so I pulled out my camera thinking she would run to the nest spot but instead she just squatted down and laid a egg with no shell but before I could even tell it was soft 2 of the other hens came and ate it!! I have a clip by clip of what happened in those few seconds. Can someone explain what’s happening!! (They have oyster shell)

 

[PoultryCQ]

We have a pullet we don’t know her age or breed but she’s pretty small and we got her a few days ago. Yesterday she laid a egg and today she was walking around and her egg hole was throbbing and it looked like she was going to lay an egg so I pulled out my camera thinking she would run to the nest spot but instead she just squatted down and laid a egg with no shell but before I could even tell it was soft 2 of the other hens came and ate it!! I have a clip by clip of what happened in those few seconds. Can someone explain what’s happening!! (They have oyster shell)

Do you quarantine new birds? She looks like she is in pretty bad shape to me. Try egg shells (chickens prefer it).

 

[coledabomb]

Do you quarantine new birds? She looks like she is in pretty bad shape to me. Try egg shells (chickens prefer it).

I don’t know what you mean by that but I will try the egg shells

 

[PoultryCQ]

I don’t know what you mean by that but I will try the egg shells

Her comb is quite pale and she is missing feathers on her butt

I like to bake and crush the egg shells quite small.

 

[aart]

we got her a few days ago.

Could just be stress from the move........or she could be unhealthy.
Agrees, she look rough.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nice photos, getting those kinds of shots is really rare. It's a lot better than trying to explain what you saw.

You just got her and don't know how old she is. Is that the first egg she laid for you that you know of? It's not unusual for a pullet just starting to lay to just drop an egg wherever she happens to be. Many of them have control over that first egg and will lay it in a nest but for some it seems they don't know what is going on so don't know to seek a nest. Same thing with that egg not having a shell, just a membrane. Most pullets seem to get the first egg put together right but some may take a few eggs to get all the kinks out of their internal egg making system. She does look rough and I don't know her back story but her dropping a shell-less egg like that doesn't worry me too much. I don't like it but I can easily see how that could happen.

It is not unusual for a chicken to eat an egg that is already broken. To me that doesn't make them an egg eater, it's just a chicken taking advantage of free food. If a chicken (almost always a hen) purposely opens an egg to eat it then I consider her an egg eater. That is bad.

That egg did not look broken when it was on the ground but it probably wiggled. I'd be concerned if that was enough to cause a hen to eat it. Maybe that egg just showing up like that surprised them and one ran over to check it out, which they often do by pecking. Maybe she laid an egg yesterday that did break when it hit the ground and now they know she lays something delicious. That might translate into them learning that all eggs are delicious instead of just hers.

I don't know what is going on but I think I'd isolate that pullet until she starts laying good eggs, if she does. And watch for evidence that one has learned to open eggs.

 

[coledabomb]

Nice photos, getting those kinds of shots is really rare. It's a lot better than trying to explain what you saw.

You just got her and don't know how old she is. Is that the first egg she laid for you that you know of? It's not unusual for a pullet just starting to lay to just drop an egg wherever she happens to be. Many of them have control over that first egg and will lay it in a nest but for some it seems they don't know what is going on so don't know to seek a nest. Same thing with that egg not having a shell, just a membrane. Most pullets seem to get the first egg put together right but some may take a few eggs to get all the kinks out of their internal egg making system. She does look rough and I don't know her back story but her dropping a shell-less egg like that doesn't worry me too much. I don't like it but I can easily see how that could happen.

It is not unusual for a chicken to eat an egg that is already broken. To me that doesn't make them an egg eater, it's just a chicken taking advantage of free food. If a chicken (almost always a hen) purposely opens an egg to eat it then I consider her an egg eater. That is bad.

That egg did not look broken when it was on the ground but it probably wiggled. I'd be concerned if that was enough to cause a hen to eat it. Maybe that egg just showing up like that surprised them and one ran over to check it out, which they often do by pecking. Maybe she laid an egg yesterday that did break when it hit the ground and now they know she lays something delicious. That might translate into them learning that all eggs are delicious instead of just hers.

I don't know what is going on but I think I'd isolate that pullet until she starts laying good eggs, if she does. And watch for evidence that one has learned to open eggs.

If only had her for about 3 days now and she’s laid both days the first she ran up to the nesting box and laid and the other one was the squishy one I’m waiting to see what happens today

 

[coledabomb]

Could just be stress from the move........or she could be unhealthy.
Agrees, she look rough.

She was only kept with hens when I bought her the roosters were in a different thing but last night I noticed one hen pecking the one (who laid the squishy egg) on the neck repeatedly right where her neck bald spot was so I put them in opposite corners of the coop and since it was night I figured they would be good because there it was dark and they couldn’t see but this morning I checked the floor and it was covered with half broken feathers and her comb was bleeding a tiny dot of blood!! Is this normal because of the pecking order? They were together when I got her and I thought she was bald because of the roosters but now I think it’s might have been the hens. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Tonyroo]

You still need to integrate your very new bird let alone quarantine her you can't just put her in with the others and expect they will get along.

The purpose of quarantine is to make sure the new bird isn't sick or carrying diseases that can kill the rest of your flock.

All new birds need to be away from your own flock in a dog crate or something similar. Monitoring the new bird for 3 weeks to make absolutely sure she is healthy. Then you can integrate the new bird by keeping her in the crate at night so they can see her but can't attack her for a few weeks. This is just a suggestion from experience.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd still isolate her for a while. It's too late for quarantine, that ship has sailed. I'd isolate her from the others so I could see how she progresses. Will her eggs straighten out? Give her time to heal if she has injuries, like that bleeding comb.

But part of integration when you are having issues is to house them across wire from each other so they can get used to each other but not harm each other. That is not always necessary but sometimes it can help a lot. Since you are having issues I think it is worth a try.