Two eggs in one day.

[MGG]

Your little hen has an issue that can end up killing her, or at least make her very sick, and possibly sterile. Sorry for what may seem hyperbole. But this is correctable if you get right on it and stay on it.

I've had a number of hens over the years that released two eggs in the 25 hour cycle. This is not the "mother lode" it may seem. Even double yolk eggs are problematic since they tend to be overly large and more easily get stuck inside.

Such a hen needs her cycle to be "reset". You do this by giving a people calcium supplement, preferably calcium citrate with D3 since it's most readily absorbed. It should be at least 500mg and given once a day until things revert to normal.

All of my hens that had this issue had episodes of stuck eggs, being egg bound, and collapsed eggs. Since releasing two eggs into the egg canal requires a double load of calcium in the shell gland, it almost always results in one egg, usually the second one, being shell-less.

Shell-less eggs are more difficult to pass, and they are also more susceptible to collapsing inside the hen. This makes for ripe conditions for bacteria to take hold in the broken egg yolk, and the resulting inflammation can make a hen sterile if the infection isn't brought under control very quickly with an antibiotic. There is often a serious complication involving vent prolapse.

Last season I had a six-year old EE with the two-egg issue. It took a month on daily calcium citrate for her cycle to reset to one egg per cycle. This season, she has had no problems at all. Another hen is eleven and she keeps trying every season to hold onto her egg laying career. She's so old that no amount of calcium supplements improves her shell gland function, so every year she gets into trouble with an egg collapsing inside her. Every year, I manage to save her from certain death, including complications from prolapse. She's a Wyandotte, and they're egg laying fiends.

The cure is simple and easy - a single calcium tablet given directly into the beak. No need to crush. Pop it in and she will swallow it easily. Not to do anything about this will bring certain grief as I've outlined above. Continue the calcium tablets until she is laying one good quality egg per cycle. Then you can stop the supplement.

My guinea hen has been laying 2 eggs every day this year. She's never laid a soft shell egg. Her eggs are pretty hard. I know they're hers because she's the only guinea I have. She gets along great with the chickens. Is there something wrong with her? Her eggs are always single yolked too.

 

[azygous]

Guineas are the bad asses of the poultry kingdom, and they think rules don't apply the them.

But seriously, it's a risk as I've explained why. Keep an eye on her. As she grows older, and her body isn't as efficient as it now is, she may start to have shell problems, increasing her risk of egg binding. As long as the shell quality is good, you don't need to do anything.

 

[MGG]

Guineas are the bad asses of the poultry kingdom, and they think rules don't apply the them.

But seriously, it's a risk as I've explained why. Keep an eye on her. As she grows older, and her body isn't as efficient as it now is, she may start to have shell problems, increasing her risk of egg binding. As long as the shell quality is good, you don't need to do anything.

Lol, ok. She is a really funny bird. I'll keep an eye on her. Thanks.