What is this ball? Not a lash egg

[amarsano]

Hi, all! I found this gross little nugget in the nesting box today. At first I thought it was maybe a lash egg, but it’s solid bloody tissue. It literally looks like a beet. It does not smell. I know we have several viruses running through the flock. Any chance this could be a tumor that someone passed? That’s aspen nesting on the outside. It also appears to have a “skin” encasing it. It’s approximately 1.5 in (4 cm) in diameter.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is probably an abnormal egg, possibly from a glitch in her oviduct. Hopefully, it is a one time thing. Are any of the hens acting more lethargic or weak, and have any been separating themselves with their tail down?

 

[amarsano]

It is probably an abnormal egg, possibly from a glitch in her oviduct. Hopefully, it is a one time thing. Are any of the hens acting more lethargic or weak, and have any been separating themselves with their tail down?

We didn’t notice anyone acting oddly. We had 1 of my older girls take a “weird stance” at one point, but then she went back to normal. I have 42 layers, so I’m not sure who laid it. Guess I’ll just keep an eye on them.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am tagging @Wyorp Rock in case she has more thoughts about what caused the bloody egg or object.

 

[amarsano]

I looked at my cameras and there was only one bird in that box today. She was recently broody so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like an intact Follicle to me.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/expelled-oviduct.1597764/post-27165529

 

[amarsano]

It looks like an intact Follicle to me.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/expelled-oviduct.1597764/post-27165529

That's it! Thank you so much! She's getting older, a n over 4 yr old Pheonix. Guess she'll be joining the freeloaders club.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That's it! Thank you so much! She's getting older, a n over 4 yr old Pheonix. Guess she'll be joining the freeloaders club.

Possibly she may go out of lay, but this may just be a release of a Follicle and she will continue laying for years to come, hard to know with these things.