Pelvic bones and cracked eggs = Lash egg growths

[RUNuts]

Have a black chicken. Barnyard surprise so best guess is a Production Black or Australorp hen, turning 1 year old this month, that is laying cracked eggs. The cracks are on both sides of the egg. Lay an egg on its side and push down. Both sides buckle. She has been doing this for over a month. 1 egg eaten or in the bottom of the nest and smeared over all the other eggs. Pull the eggs, the bedding and redo. She is not the one laying thin shelled eggs, still looking for that one.

They have oyster shell available and on layer feed for 2 months. The shell is hard, just broken. Check her cloaca and it was slightly bloody and messy from laying. During the laying, she was straining and growling. Anyone seen this before? Will the bones move again? Or is this indicative of something else? This is a fairly recent happening and the eggs (9 hens the same age) are slowly getting larger.

 

[aart]

Hmmm, so cracked egg shell is hard and thick,
but broken like shown immediately upon being laid,
and her vent is bloody???

Have you checked the pelvic bone spacing and it's smaller than it 'should' be?

1 year old and just started laying..or...??
Did she lay 'good' eggs' before this?

Sounds like it's being cracked inside and not 'repaired'.
Maybe wonky shell gland.
Just musing.

 

[RUNuts]

Hmmm, so cracked egg shell is hard and thick,
but broken like shown immediately upon being laid,
and her vent is bloody???

Have you checked the pelvic bone spacing and it's smaller than it 'should' be?

1 year old and just started laying..or...??
Did she lay 'good' eggs' before this?

Sounds like it's being cracked inside and not 'repaired'.
Maybe wonky shell gland.
Just musing.

Cracked on both sides. Watched it come out and come apart on hay. Everyone was laying fine until a month ago. Pelvic bones tight but bigger than one finger and not laying spacing.

Yes, she laid good small eggs before this. For the last month, I've got 3 hens with issues.
3 year old blue egger laying shell less or rubber eggs.
Another brown layer laying paper thin shells that don't always bust.
Then this one with a good shell that is cracked.
14 other hens laying decent eggs including the 4 year old leghorn.

The 9 - 1 year olds have been laying all winter. Cute, petite brown eggs. Chicken Rancher told me the Dominique influence gave him small eggs. I'm getting some petite ones still. Have 10 brown egg layers with 9 hatched a year ago. 5 black and 4 barred.

 

[aart]

Cracked on both sides. Watched it come out and come apart on hay. Everyone was laying fine until a month ago. Pelvic bones tight but bigger than one finger and not laying spacing.

Yes, she laid good small eggs before this.

That is very strange.
I don't think I've ever heard of an egg coming out cracked like that...and it's cutting her chute.
Not sure what to suggest.
I'd assume if most everyone else is laying OK it's not the diet.
Are the 'bad' layers unduly stressed?

 

[RUNuts]

All in the same enclosure. Dogs outside for the last week. New fencing and a hard headed dog that wanted her yard back, but that was fixed a week ago and this has been going on longer.

I'd say no new stress. She was straining. Something is going on. I should reduce the flock, so using this as a sign. Need to identify the paper shell layer. She isn't getting better either with the laying feed.

 

[RUNuts]

Checked her this morning. 2 of my finger fit but tighter than I'm accustomed.

 

[RUNuts]

Update: Continued finding egg messes in the nests. Decided to cull Orange (color of leg tag that became her name) since this wasn't getting better. (Had 3 that had issues, hard shell, soft shell and blue shell - easy to identify messes if any shell remains.)

Resolution: Culled the above hen. She and her hatch mates just turned one year old this month. She had another broken egg shell in the chute with a large growth or lash egg mass of nastiness. The mass was near the cloaca. This means the eggs were forming and getting coated, but could not pass whole. Her bottom had become a little more distended than what I consider normal for a chicken. Nothing obvious unless you felt and were looking for something.

The blue egg layer was also culled with similar growths. Redbeard was 3 years old and was obviously feeling bad. I'd find blue rubber eggs and shell less eggs in the nest.

Since I hatched Orange last year, I find it interesting that she had a lash egg so early in her life.

RIP Orange and Redbeard. Thank you for the time we shared and all the eggs.

Since dealing with lash eggs in Leghorns, I am glad I did not wait. These girls would continue to feel bad until death. Not an easy decision, but necessary.

 

[aart]

Not an easy decision, but necessary.

Condolences and Kudos.
Sometimes a bird just ain't made right.