Very soft shelles egg.

[SolarDuck]

Today I think I got my first egg from my duck named Pigeon, unfortunately it is a completely soft shell. She already has access to a few different piles of oyster shell throughout my yard, and there is just naturally a lot of shell grit in my yard as I live in Florida and my yard is pretty sandy. I'm kind of concerned because I know egg laying issues can turn into medical issues. Is there anything I can do to kind of encourage her to use the piles of oyster shell? Or anything else I could do that would help with shell production? My other duck penguin lays eggs with rock solid shells that are way harder to crack than normal chicken eggs. Also I have no idea what to do with this soft shelled egg any ideas?

 

[SolarDuck]

Just got back from the vet, she really appreciated me keeping a notebook logging all of her eggs that she's laid, and me bringing in some if the soft shelled eggs in a plastic bag she said they were very helpful so thanks for that recommendation @KaleIAm ! She absolutely loved Pigeon too because she is such a sweetheart. She said that the calcium citrate with d3 that @Isaac 0 suggested is a great supplement, so thank you for that Isaac. She recommended that I continue giving her the calcium pills every day forever. She said that Pigeon might have still had a deficiency from before I found her, and she found some signs in the feathering suggesting that whoever had her before me did not feed her the proper diet. She thinks now that I'm on the Mazuri breeder and am giving the supplement it should work itself out. She said that I could also give 2 calcium pills to my other girls everyday, but I don't think I will unless they start having laying issues. Luckily she said if I have any more issues from here on I can just text her pictures of the abnormal eggs and send it to her, and she will let me know if I need to adjust my supplements. Hopefully I won't run into any more issues regarding this. Thank you so much to everybody that responded to this thread and helped me with this!!!

 

[KaleIAm]

Personally I wouldn't be too concerned because she is a new layer, and you have recently introduced a new duck to the backyard, right? I would pay attention and if it continues address the situation then. Also, watch her for symptoms. I have taken my ducks to the vet for soft shelled eggs before, that looked just like the one you found, but not if it was just one and not if something stressful just happened. When I have they test my duck for calcium levels and then send me home with calcium gluconate syrup either way. You can buy it over the counter.

Are you feeding layer pellets? Also what kind of oyster shell are you offering? I found that my ducks refuse to eat the white kind and love the grey kind that actually looks like oyster shells. They didn't recognize it as an edible item at first so I topped it with a few mealworms several times daily for a few weeks until they ate it on their own.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/
Soft shell eggs

These eggs are laid with an incomplete shell, sometimes just a thin layer of calcium. Causes are similar to shell less eggs:

- Immature shell gland;

- Nutritional deficiencies, usually lack of calcium, vitamins E, B12 and D as well as phosphorous and selenium;

- Disease such as infectious bronchitis, avian influenza, egg drop syndrome; an internal or external parasite infestation;

- Exposure to very high temperatures and/or very high or low humidity levels;

- Egg laid prematurely due to stress or a disturbance during the calcification process;

- Egg laying while molting.

 

[Isaac 0]

It's apparent she is attempting to expel an egg; when soft that can make things a lot more difficult. It would be best to move her into a warm stress-free area, that's humidified. Administration of a calcium supplement is indicated in most cases to promote muscle contractions and aid in the future for correct formation of the shell. For that, you can use calcium gluconate, dosing at 0.2ml per pound orally, or crush tums, mix it with water, and give her a few drops orally. If she is not drinking much, offering an electrolyte such as Gatorade, or Pedialyte would be good. If you don't see improvement after some time, and her overall condition worsens, a vet might be best.

 

[CoriM]

Wow, that's terrific news! So happy to hear you've got a good plan and your duck will be okay!

 

[Isaac 0]

Okay thank you. I brought her inside and just have her on my couch, she hasn't pooped since I brought her in about 30 minutes ago. I'm currently filling up my bathtub with warm water because I read on metzer farms website that it can help them with passing the egg. How long can I wait until going to the vet? Hours? Days? I assume I would have to today if she can't even poop but I don't even think they offer same day visits last time I made an appointment there the soonest they had was a week away.

How long has she been acting like this?

Soaking her rear in warm water, or keeping her in a humidified room would be good. These problems generally resolve themselves, but I am not the one to say whether you go or not. You have to use your best judgment and decide for yourself.

 

[Isaac 0]

Its just been today

Also just put her in her warm bath and she pooped instantly so that's good

Maybe just give her some more time. Let us know how she's doing this evening.

 

[KaleIAm]

How long did it usually take her?

1-3 days. She got eggbound every 1-3 weeks. She was on calcium gluconate, metacam, and the vets frequently gave her vitamin injections. I gave her warm baths at first but they didn't seem to help, the best thing for her seemed to be leaving her in the barn in a nesting box. Other members have found that warm baths help their ducks, but Gingersnap seemed stressed and the quiet benefited her more.

I'm not sure if our situations are too similar. Gingersnap was a very sick duck with multiple health issues. Despite her reproductive problems, she passed away from something else entirely. Also my flock has infectious bronchitis, which lives in the egg shell gland. I think your duck is just a new layer.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Good plan!!

You might want to make something like this for your shells. I found it on a post on BYC. It's pretty easy to make but be sure to drill holes on the bottom for drainage unless you put it under a shelter.

 

[SolarDuck]

This morning I got a beautiful hard shelled normal looking egg from her!! It's a bit smaller than Penguin's eggs even though Penguin is smaller than Pigeon.