GQsm Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Our White Star has laid an egg every day since we got her 3 weeks ago. Sunday she didn't lay and we noticed she did a few clear liquid droppings. Today she didn't lay all day although she wondered into the nest box this morning like she was going to. Early evening when I got back from work I noticed she was looking a little hunched and subdued. I was going to get changed and then come back to inspect her but I saw go in the Eglu so waited for her to come out. When she came out this is what was there. The fully formed Egg was a little larger than her usual and had no shell at all, the other one was about the size of cadburys mini egg, indented a lot, again with no shell and when opened just had very gloopy egg white with no visible yolk. I have read plenty about the normal sized egg with no shell but nothing about the tiny egg. I have also not found anything really linking the Diarrhoea and the normal size egg with no shell. I am pretty sure she laid both together although I cannot be 100% I didn't miss the small egg when I looked through their door into the nest box first time (I can usually see eggs at an angle through the front and it saves me donning the chicken footwear and traipsing through the WIR) Anyone had this sort of thing before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippie Chick Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Yes! My Bluebelle laid shell less eggs for quite a while on and off when she was young. I think it took her about 2 months or more to get into her stride with soft eggs but now she's a reliable layer of strong shelled eggs. She never had any trouble laying the shell less eggs though - one day my Border Collie was wandering about the garden and Brunhilde the Bluebelle did a slight dip in front of her and dropped a shell less egg and continued walking! I've never seen my dog look quite as impressed as she did when she ate her impromptu treat! I do know that shell less eggs are more uncomfortable and more difficult to pass for most birds though. She did one day lay a softie and a tiny egg like yours, but it only happened once together. The tiny egg is called a wind egg and they only have egg white in them. It may be there's a lack of calcium, as long as you have mixed grit that has something like oystershell in it or some other source of calcium then you should be OK for calcium. With my chicken it was simply that she was young and things weren't all that coordinated for her back then! I know some people have suggested a few mealworms as well as a treat to help with this and mine do have these as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GQsm Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Thanks Hippie Chick. After I wrote the post she missed another day completely and has then laid every day as normal. Part of our routine since we got them is to hand feed meal worms and mixed corn in the evening as treats so she would already have had plenty of those, they also seem to eat loads of mixed grit and shell from a seperate tub I keep topped up. I am thinking it was some stress or upset but whatever, she seems fine now. This Thursday we found a small shell less egg which we guessed would be our Lavendar Araucana who had not laid previously and yesterday a small patchy blue white egg was laid. I am guessing the colour will improve as she gets into the swing of it. By the way, noticing your location? We already visit Bank View Farm and Argo Feeds at Penistone. Checked out Storrs Poutry too but not bought anything from there. Can get bits and bobs from Jolyes pet store (loose Meal worms v good price per kg I thought) and Wilkos seemed to have a decent selection, all things considered. Anywhere else you would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 it's not always a lack of calcium that is the problem with soft shelled eggs it can be an imbalance of an ammino acid that's needed by the body to convert the calcium that's in the feed and the calcium that makes up the mixed grit into a form of calcium that the body can use. meal worms contain a source of the ammino acid also to much calcium can cause problems to especially in young birds I found that out the hard way after been given bad advice by a breeder about feeding a 10 week old grower layers pellets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
