Squishy!

[Crundy]

Honestly, since having chickens I feel like I've crossed into the twilight zone! After watching the chickens waddle into the Eglu this evening I went out to shut the door, and noticed a small white egg in the middle of the run. I assumed this meant our second chicken had started laying and so I reached in and picked it up only to find it was, well, bouncy:

http://www.cryptpad.com/squashyegg.wmv

So, questions:

1. 1) Is it possible the egg was from the laying chicken who already laid an egg this morning, and this was a kind of "premature" egg, or is it definitely the other chicken's first?
2. 2) If the latter, do I need to get some oyster shell grit, or is this a one-off, being her first egg and I don't need to worry?
3. 3) The other half has banned me from eating the offending egg, but out of interest are soft eggs edible?

[davefromthechipie]

hi crundy
chickens can only produce one egg at a time and that takes about 24hours so no its not from the same hen .

It could be a one off I still have the same problem with oneo f my ex batts she lays soft shells if they have a shell at all , Cant fix it they are on the same feed and oyster shell mix as the ones laying perfect eggs .

as for eating that egg id say yes but dont store it as it will go bad within a day or 2 and make sure its cooked well

[Crundy]

OK, thanks. I assumed the egg process was like a big conveyor belt system, and so they were creating multiple eggs at any given time but only one goes through the "hardening" process at a time. It's good to know there's only one a day, so I know which chook is laying what.

I assume it's her who keeps crapping in the nesting box overnight, as she laid in the run. Is there any way of telling them where to sleep and where to poop?

[bluemoon]

Leave something egg-like in the nest box. You can buy pottery and rubber eggs from poultry equipment suppliers, but the chap we bought our hens from said a couple of golf balls will do the trick just as well. As I have a golf-mad dad who has plenty of spares (says me ) I've gone for that option. BUT, I've only had my girls since Saturday, still haven't had an egg - they are only 18 weeks old though - so I couldn't swear that it actually works.

[Crundy]

Doesn't that risk making them go broody?

[bluemoon]

I think you remove them as soon as the girls have got the idea.

[Hilary B]

I don't think hens go broody because of the presence of eggs. It is a hormone thing, analogous to mental changes of pregnancy. Only if they were 'borderline' for brooding anyway would having eggs left in the nest set them off.
If they are just starting to lay, that shouldn't happen.

[Crundy]

I went home to check the chooks this lunchtime and found another squishy egg which had been laid on the roosting bars and dropped through to the litter tray. I went straight out and bought some mixed grit, which I shall force feed to them when I get home!

[Flummery]

Mine get mixed grit and oyster shell and crushed egg shell but this morning we got one that wasn't squishy but was definitely what you'd call fragile. Their chopped grapes were well scattered with limestone flour this afternoon. I don't think it's uncommon with chooks just coming into lay, or coming back to lay after a moult.

[HayleyB]

You might do better to try mixing limestone flour into dampened porridge, they love porridge and the calcium (limestone) is what helps with the shells. My Laydees take oyster shell occasionally it's always available but they tend not to bother with it most of the time. Force feeding - rather you than me

[Crundy]

Only joking about the force feeding. I fear they may kill me.
You should see what they do to my hand when I hand-feed them sweetcorn!

[MaureenHall]

With young chickens i wouldn't worry too much, it'll sort itself out, but like the others have said, extra calcium won't come amiss

One of my ex-battery girls has been laying softies for a while now (more than one of them actually), and today there was the most gross thing I've ever seen!! Myrtle has been a bit off colour for a few days - you all know the signs now, puffed up, tail down, looking fed-up. I went to collect the eggs this morning and found in one of the next boxes a huge bloody egg (I mean a big egg that seemed to contain all blood) with no shell. Luckily none of the others had started to eat it like they normally do with squashies if I don't get there first. Myrtle is definitely looking much better today, tail up, eating and drinking ok. I've checked all the girls bums and they all look clean and healthy. It's probably a waiting game now to see if it happens again, but to my mind, I'm not overly concerned about any of them, and if she doesn't lay any more eggs, then that's fine by me, just as long as she's having a happy and contented retirement. Just don't go telling me to "put her out of her misery" because she's not miserable (as far as I can tell, being a mere human!)

[HayleyB]

Crikey that must have been horrible, at least she's a lot happier now, could be that she has reached chook menopause. she'll be taking out her pension now Aunty Mo

[Crundy]

Gah! I had two squishy eggs again on Saturday night, and just now witenessed Mabel dropping another squashy one in the middle of the run (after being in and out of the nesting box).

I'm trying to make out a correllation here. They always lay the squashy ones at night (rather than just before lunch, as normal), and never in the nesting box. Always either between the roosting bars or in the run. I'm guessing that because the squishy ones come out at night they are meant to be the next day's egg? Like the they are going into premature labour.

The only thing I can think of is if it's due to them having too much sweetcorn as a treat in the late afternoon / early evening? They have their layers pellets and mixed grit dotted around, so I can only think that stuffing themselves with fresh sweetcorn is causing them to drop the egg they have in the oven? I'm going to try weaning them off their sweetcorn addicion for a while and see if it helps, but can anyone think of anything else that might be causing it? A fright? Dehydration?

[MaureenHall]

Try cutting out ALL treats for a while, just keep them on layers pellets and some cabbage or other brassica leaves, and make sure they have plenty of fresh water available. It could be "teething problems" or them just settling to a new routine. I'd also mix up some of the pellets with hot water to make a porridgy mash and add some poultry spice and extra calcium, just as a precaution. Also, have they been wormed? Worms can upset their systems in weird ways. I'd contact the person you got the girls from to find out about worming, when last done, what did they use etc.