yolk and shell laid separetely?

[stellasswag]

i have a 1.5 year old welsummer who is laying everyday. today i opened the coop and there was no egg. a moment later i found a yolk in the bedding as if somebody had cracked an egg into the bedding. I had heard of chickens laying shellless eggs every once in a while so i didnt worry. i just got back from the barn a few minutes ago and i checked on the chickens. i found something really, really, weird in the nest. I found a crumpled and wet eggshell. it was really soft and bendable. (really gooey) it was crazy. so she laid the yolk at noon and then the shell and 2? also i have 4 pullets that will lay in the next month so i thought maybe stella (my older hen) to a day of rest (she has laid 2 weeks in a row) and maybe the egg was deformed because it was the pullet's first one?

 

[Kelsie2290]

If you have four pullets ready to start laying in a few weeks, I would bet one or more of those is producing the funny eggs, especially if you have since gotten a normal egg from your Welsummer. No shell / membrane only eggs are common when pullets start laying (or hens start up again after molting etc), it usually takes them a little time to get on track and it is not unusual for them to lay odd eggs, no shells, double yolks etc, they are just working the kinks out of their system. With the young ones the shell gland is probably just immature and they will work it out in the next couple of weeks.
There are other causes like some vitamin or mineral deficiencies, or a hens ability to use/absorb calcium, and there are some diseases that can cause it, but in pullets it is usually just age related and will sort itself out.
Thin shelled eggs in older girls can be caused by too little calcium (not a problem/disease in the hen) which is why laying hens should get layer feed or calcium, but unless you are feeding your girls a really bad diet, lack of calcium is usually not the problem in young pullets.

 

[sepaditty1]

Kelsie, I notice in your answer to the question you said that layers should eat layer feed or calcium. Is it true that if you buy the layer feed then you don't need to supply the extra calcium on the side? I've gotten different answers from different people, but I'm not sure if any of them actually have chickens, they just work at the feed store. What do you do?

 

[Kelsie2290]

I personally mostly feed an all ages type food and have calcium available on the side for the ones who want it. I usually have a mixed age flock and don't want the younger birds getting extra calcium. When I do have a pen of older layers and feed a layer type food, I still supply calcium on the side. Commercial layer food is supposed to be complete, and it probably is for your average bird. However, older birds especially, sometimes seem to need more calcium than is found in the typical layer food. This is a ime thing, but some of the older birds definitely have better egg shell quality if they are getting supplemental calcium even if on layer food.

 

[sepaditty1]

Thank you. I also have mixed ages. Only about 8 weeks different, so in the long run it shouldn't make much difference, but while they're so young I just didn't know if I should aim for the younger or the older.

 

[SHelms]

I have been having something quite similar happening. I have found 2 eggs now dropped on the poop board that had soft shell. Yesterday and today I found yolk only on the poop board. The first one, yesterday, was in the same place as the 2 soft shell eggs. The one today was in a different place (different hen?) I have one RIR whose wattle is not developing, but otherwise she appears healthy. There are also 2 black sex-link who have not produced. Very, very strange.