What caused one of my Americauna chicken to lay an egg like this?

[Ollie72]

I've got a small flock of 4 chickens. 2 Rhode Islands and 2 Ameraucanas. They are 10 month old. One of my Ameraucanas finally started laying the other day. Laid an egg 2 days in a row. Then stopped again. 3 days later she lays this soft transparent glob. I'll try to attach a picture of it. Shes acting fine. They free range during the day but also gets free choice laying mash, oyster shells, sweet feed, and grit. They get treats once a day whether it be dried meal worms, bread, etc. I hope this is normal. I love my girls and want them to be healthy and happy.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

It is common for first timers to lay some..ehm...weird looking things, if she is acting OK, then you should not worry

 

[JCaseyHammond]

That looks like a shell-less egg.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, Ollie. I would not worry too much. When hens first start laying this can happen as their systems begin to work the kinks out. For myself, though, I would not let my birds free range all day. I would keep them confined most of the day just to make sure they are getting good nutrition from that laying feed until about 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. Then I would let them free range a few hours in the afternoon. Having the grit and oyster shell available to free feed is a very good idea, as is keeping treats and snacks to a minimum. I'm sure your hens will get in the swing of things very soon!

 

[Ollie72]

Thank you all so much. I normally let them out around 1 in the afternoon unless it's a really nice day. I just love this group. I've gotten so much good info on here. Ive got cattle and goats too but I've been around them all my life. I will say I never thought I could get attached to birds though! Again thank you all for your knowledge.

 

[JCaseyHammond]

That looks like a shell-less egg.

Here’s the link to Sumi’s troubleshooting guide. It makes for fascinating reading. May come in handy when no veterinarian is available.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[EmmaRainboe]

I would not worry yet. It is extremely common in brand new layers.