Why does my Black Australorp...

[BoroGurlsTN]

I have two 1.5 yro Black Australorps. They have a nice big backyard that they get to free range in all day... Frojo lays everyday and it's a nice medium size egg. Oprah lays every third day and hers are XL. Feed, oyster shell and water are readily available.

My problem is that Oprah who lays every third day will lay two eggs on the third day but one of those two laid eggs will be very very thin shelled and will collapse when i move it. The other egg will be a nice XL normal one. This has been going on for the last six weeks and i can't figure out what is going on with her. Nothing seems wrong with her and her behavior is great. Anyone have any idea what might be going on or what i might need to do to help that other egg?

These eggs aren't laid back to back but are usually laid within an hour or two of one another.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is extremely rare for two eggs to be in the reproductive tract at the same time. Until you can get the hen to resume a normal ovulation cycle, there likely isn't anything you can do for the thin egg because there isn't enough calcium in the blood stream to make two shells back to back.
It is a real problem that could be causing rickets or cage layer fatigue.
I think I would force molt the hen so her laying will be halted for a couple months and when she resumes, the ovulation cycle will again be every 25 hours or longer. Right now, she is releasing two ova into the infundibulum nearly simultaneously.
http://articles.extension.org/pages/65372/avian-reproductive-systemfemale

 

[aart]

I think I would force molt the hen

How would you do this?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How would you do this?

Black out the windows and shorten her outside time to about 8 hours a day. One could do so gradually or all at once. At any rate, light exposure to the retina signals the pineal gland to translate that into a hormonal signal. The gland produces serotonin and subsequently, melatonin. That's the hormone that affects the gonads for ovulation in females. An increase in melatonin causes the gonads to become inactive. As photoperiod in relation to day vs. night is the most important clue for animals to determine season. The duration of melatonin secretion each day is directly proportional to the length of the night because of the pineal gland's ability to measure daylength.
This kick starts a molt, and cessation of egg laying.
You can speed up the process further by restricting feed but I've never found it necessary to do so. The short day already restricts feeding.
Giving the ovaries a break should give them the opportunity to regulate the cycle. There is clearly a problem there since chickens don't normally lay two eggs at a time.