Sticky Yolk covered eggs

[JazzyChook]

Hi everyone. I have 2 rescue chickens, Bernie and Gertie. I've only had them a few months so I'm still very new to all of this!

I've had a couple of strange eggs this week and I'm a little bit worried about my girls.

Today I had 2 eggs, one was covered in yolk and the other was clean (apart from a bit of splashback). There was yolk all through the hay as well but no broken shell (Pic 1 & 2). A few days ago, I found an egg on the grass, outside of the laying box that was covered in a clear discharge? It was dried up but still gooey in places. Egg was fine when I cracked it (Pic 3).

Both chooks seem happy and are behaving normally. Bernie will come for a cuddle and doesnt mind being handled, I've checked her iver and she seems fine, no messy bum or swelling or anything. Gertie is still quite timid after being rescued so I've never been able to pick her up without scaring her, observing from a distance she has no messy bum and is eating normally.

Am I worrying too much over a few messy eggs? Or is there a bigger issue I need to consider? Please help!!

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC!
One of these girls is laying shell-less eggs. How old are they?
I would put out a container of oyster shell and keep it full at all times for free feeding if you don't already have that.
I would also give both of them calcium citrate with Vit D for a week. Give them one tablet in the morning before they come off the roost and one in the evening after they go to roost. I like these:

 

[Mercyr79]

Welcome to BYC!
One of these girls is laying shell-less eggs. How old are they?
I would put out a container of oyster shell and keep it full at all times for free feeding if you don't already have that.
I would also give both of them calcium citrate with Vit D for a week. Give them one tablet in the morning before they come off the roost and one in the evening after they go to roost. I like these:

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Hi. My 2 year old hen is having the same issue. She was laying eggs with brittle shells and I gave her one pill everyday for a week. Today I found an egg covered in yolk. All hens are behaving normally. Can I continue the calcium indefinitely or is it only for one week? Thank you so much.

 

[DobieLover]

Hi. My 2 year old hen is having the same issue. She was laying eggs with brittle shells and I gave her one pill everyday for a week. Today I found an egg covered in yolk. All hens are behaving normally. Can I continue the calcium indefinitely or is it only for one week? Thank you so much.

You can supplement calcium as long as they are producing eggs.

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

You can supplement calcium as long as they are producing eggs.

I keep finding albumin with a little bit of yolk in the nest. No idea who it is. Should i supplement all of the hens? Is that safe?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I keep finding albumin with a little bit of yolk in the nest. No idea who it is. Should i supplement all of the hens? Is that safe?

Really best to not supplement the whole flock as they don't all need it. How big is your flock? You could try experimenting by supplementing one (or few, if it's a larger flock) birds at a time for 1-2 weeks, and see if you can narrow it down that way. If the problem goes away after supplementing you've identified the bird.

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

Really best to not supplement the whole flock as they don't all need it. How big is your flock? You could try experimenting by supplementing one (or few, if it's a larger flock) birds at a time for 1-2 weeks, and see if you can narrow it down that way. If the problem goes away after supplementing you've identified the bird.

I have 9 laying hens right now. They eat all flock and have oyster shell in several places. It's really hot here right now...115 with the heat index during the hottest part. Could this contribute to the problem? God bless them for continuing to lay eggs during this heat wave. I have the coop cooled down as much as possible for them as well as their yard/runs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have 9 laying hens right now. They eat all flock and have oyster shell in several places. It's really hot here right now...115 with the heat index during the hottest part. Could this contribute to the problem? God bless them for continuing to lay eggs during this heat wave. I have the coop cooled down as much as possible for them as well as their yard/runs.

Oof that's rough. Not sure if heat impacts shelling at all - I would guess not, but if the issue only showed up when it got hot maybe there's a link?

Personally I'd wait until it cools off a bit before worrying about supplementing then, as I wouldn't want to be out chasing down hens with calcium tablets.

 

[TXKukupantsKoop]

Oof that's rough. Not sure if heat impacts shelling at all - I would guess not, but if the issue only showed up when it got hot maybe there's a link?

Personally I'd wait until it cools off a bit before worrying about supplementing then, as I wouldn't want to be out chasing down hens with calcium tablets.

Yeah it's terrible. No end in sight for this month at least. That's Texas! ❤