I've been noticing weak and spotted/deformed eggs in the nesting box for a couple of weeks.
I have 4 chickens: An Americauna who lays BIG green healthy eggs, a Brahma who lays little round eggs and an Australorp and Orpington who lay the same kind of normal brown eggs. I have been getting very strange eggs in the box for a couple of weeks know and knew they were from either the Australorp or the Orp but figured out today by watching that it was the Australorp. Today she laid another weak egg but this time in the middle of the coop run and it was already broken before I got there. Not eaten or anything, as everyone was out free ranging but like glass when I picked it up it just shattered.
Then this afternoon when I went to brush them with some spring time preventative diatomaceous earth I couldn't find her. I eventually found her laying down in the woods, completely alone which is very strange for any of these 4 to ever be without the other. Then I watched her and she was in the middle of our field with her tail down just standing there as the others foraged. Then this evening she hid under the deck while her sisters snacked on their evening snack.
I noticed she is missing a few head feathers and today she exhibited an act of aggression I have NEVER seen with these 4 girls who have been raised by hand since day 1. My Orp got in my garden and I picked her up and placed her outside of it and Minnie jumped on her back and ripped out a mouthful of feathers and then jumped off standing there with the feathers in the mouth like she had no idea what happened either...as did I. We literally, including her stood there in shock. She has been also laying on the other's eggs and not laying her own and then eventually laying a misshappen or weak egg. I have a whole carton of them now, see attached.
What the heck is wrong with her???
Side note...the Brahma spent a week at the vet for an infected crop, was on two types of antibiotics plus monistat, in the house and getting crop massages several times a day and then let out to forage with her sisters. I've been throwing out her eggs as instructed by the vet.
I have 4 chickens: An Americauna who lays BIG green healthy eggs, a Brahma who lays little round eggs and an Australorp and Orpington who lay the same kind of normal brown eggs. I have been getting very strange eggs in the box for a couple of weeks know and knew they were from either the Australorp or the Orp but figured out today by watching that it was the Australorp. Today she laid another weak egg but this time in the middle of the coop run and it was already broken before I got there. Not eaten or anything, as everyone was out free ranging but like glass when I picked it up it just shattered.
Then this afternoon when I went to brush them with some spring time preventative diatomaceous earth I couldn't find her. I eventually found her laying down in the woods, completely alone which is very strange for any of these 4 to ever be without the other. Then I watched her and she was in the middle of our field with her tail down just standing there as the others foraged. Then this evening she hid under the deck while her sisters snacked on their evening snack.
I noticed she is missing a few head feathers and today she exhibited an act of aggression I have NEVER seen with these 4 girls who have been raised by hand since day 1. My Orp got in my garden and I picked her up and placed her outside of it and Minnie jumped on her back and ripped out a mouthful of feathers and then jumped off standing there with the feathers in the mouth like she had no idea what happened either...as did I. We literally, including her stood there in shock. She has been also laying on the other's eggs and not laying her own and then eventually laying a misshappen or weak egg. I have a whole carton of them now, see attached.
What the heck is wrong with her???
Side note...the Brahma spent a week at the vet for an infected crop, was on two types of antibiotics plus monistat, in the house and getting crop massages several times a day and then let out to forage with her sisters. I've been throwing out her eggs as instructed by the vet.
