Weird soft egg with a tail??

[Bagels006]

I've noticed since we've moved into a new house/ yard and chicken coop, that my leghorn has been laying more soft and misshapen eggs. Which I understand the stress of the move could cause a little stress. My other 3 hens have adapted well and are laying like normal. But today's soft egg (from the leghorn) had a weird tail on it and Im wondering if I should be concerned about her? What are your thoughts?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Are you providing oyster shell to you flock? What are you feeding them?
is your leghorn a new layer? How old is she?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I bet @aart, @Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock, @oldhenlikesdogs and @ChickenCanoe would like to see this.

 

[Bagels006]

Are you providing oyster shell to you flock? What are you feeding them?
is your leghorn a new layer? How old is she?

They've all been laying for about one and a half years. They are fed Dumor (sp?) layer feed from tractor supply and they free graze all day in the backyard. I have used oyster shell in the past but switched to crushed eggshells because they're free and the chickens like them. They are 2 years old.

 

[aart]

That egg got pushed thru before membrane was complete.
Could be stress.

I have used oyster shell in the past but switched to crushed eggshells because they're free and the chickens like them.

Are they eating a lot of the ES?
OS is better, lasts longer in the system.

You'll see all the steps an egg goes thru in this excellent video:

 

[Eggcessive]

Excellent video of egg development!

 

[aart]

Excellent video of egg development!

Isn't it tho?!
I love it.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth 10 thousand words, eh?

 

[Eggcessive]

Eggs with tails can be hard or soft. Some think that eggs with tails get stuck temporarily then come out with the tail. I would give some Human calcium with vitamin D tablet 1/2 tablet daily for a few days to see if it clears up. A 50 pound bag of crushed oystershell from TSC is around $10 and lasts a long time. Here is an interesting link about eggs with tails and other abnormal shells:
https://bitchinchickens.com/2019/03/01/weird-eggs-101/

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I had an egg with a tail once in a mixed flock of DP and egg breeds so I don't know who laid it but I remember being shocked but never got another and I do not know the cause.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Think of it this way. Egg shells are made of, to start with, recycled oyster shells, which are very high in calcium. Then you take away the oyster shells. Each time an egg is made, it is made of recycled material. So it has less and less calcium. The egg shells will be thinner and weaker each time you feed it to the hen, because some of that calcium is being used in other parts of the body, like bone. You need to keep feeding oyster shell to replenish the calcium. Used egg shells are insufficient. Calcium will start coming from their bones to make eggs. You could get shell-less eggs, or fewer eggs, or unhealthy hens.