What is egg drop syndrome

[guest226]

I'm aware that EDS is when hens lay eggs overnight that are thin-shelled or shell-less. I have a few questions, since my post egg bound hen has been laying very thin shelled eggs in the roost.

- Can my hens get EDS even though they are in a run with a roof and no access to wild birds?
- Can they get EDS even though I live in Northern Cali?
- Are there symptoms other than the weird eggs?
- Can it be cured?
- Is this caused by a potential lesion that occurred when she got egg bound by her shell less egg?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may find the article below helpful.


https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/egg-drop-syndrome-76/egg-drop-syndrome-’76

I'm aware that EDS is when hens lay eggs overnight that are thin-shelled or shell-less. I have a few questions, since my post egg bound hen has been laying very thin shelled eggs in the roost.

- Can my hens get EDS even though they are in a run with a roof and no access to wild birds?
- Can they get EDS even though I live in Northern Cali?
- Are there symptoms other than the weird eggs?
- Can it be cured?
- Is this caused by a potential lesion that occurred when she got egg bound by her shell less egg?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock

 

[guest226]

You may find the article below helpful.


https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/egg-drop-syndrome-76/egg-drop-syndrome-’76

I've read that article I don't think they specify if its possible for hens to contract that disease in the first place without interaction w/ wild birds or ducks. Would you have an idea why my hen is laying thin shelled eggs during her sleep if its not EDS?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've read that article I don't think they specify if its possible for hens to contract that disease in the first place without interaction w/ wild birds or ducks. Would you have an idea why my hen is laying thin shelled eggs during her sleep if its not EDS?

No, I have no idea.

I think you've been doing all you can for her. I know you've had many threads asking questions which is great, but often we do not have the answers you seek.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm afraid I'm finding that article too technical to be very helpful. What I really need to know is, is the condition contagious? Mostly I've had what appear to be brown thin-shelled ("rubber") or membrane-only ("jelly") eggs in my poop trays, but at least once I found a blue one. I've also found just wet spots, with no evidence of any kind of shell, as though someone had cracked an egg into the poop tray and tossed away the shell. In those cases I have found no yolk and assumed it had been eaten. All of these are very early in the morning. Do I need to get a camera and cull the bird that's laying these faulty eggs to keep the problem from spreading?

 

[knowvagale]

I'm afraid I'm finding that article too technical to be very helpful. What I really need to know is, is the condition contagious? Mostly I've had what appear to be brown thin-shelled ("rubber") or membrane-only ("jelly") eggs in my poop trays, but at least once I found a blue one. I've also found just wet spots, with no evidence of any kind of shell, as though someone had cracked an egg into the poop tray and tossed away the shell. In those cases I have found no yolk and assumed it had been eaten. All of these are very early in the morning. Do I need to get a camera and cull the bird that's laying these faulty eggs to keep the problem from spreading?

I poked around online and found that it is contagious. It's caused by a virus called Duck Atadenovirus, and it can be transmitted through droppings, contaminated water, or contaminated vaccines. It is likely that many of your birds are affected because it seems to spread fairly quickly, especially if they have been eating eggs from the affected hen. Infected birds still have good quality of life and it seems like episodes of weird eggs come and go— If you aren't a breeder or too worried about the drop in egg production, you don't have to do anything. If you want to eliminate the virus, it looks like you will have to thoroughly disinfect the coup, especially the poop tray/anywhere that has contacted the eggs. You will have to identify and cull or seperate the infected birds indefinitely.

https://shagbarkbantams.com/egg-drop-syndrome/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_drop_syndrome

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm afraid I'm finding that article too technical to be very helpful. What I really need to know is, is the condition contagious? Mostly I've had what appear to be brown thin-shelled ("rubber") or membrane-only ("jelly") eggs in my poop trays, but at least once I found a blue one. I've also found just wet spots, with no evidence of any kind of shell, as though someone had cracked an egg into the poop tray and tossed away the shell. In those cases I have found no yolk and assumed it had been eaten. All of these are very early in the morning. Do I need to get a camera and cull the bird that's laying these faulty eggs to keep the problem from spreading?

What are you feeding?

Are all of them having troubles? How old are they?

Egg Drop Syndrome is not really that common in the U.S.

I would be looking at feed, check for parasites, etc.
Having a camera is a good idea, so you can know which hen(s) are laying soft shelled eggs - see if they are getting picked on or are stressed and you can also directly give those particular hens extra calcium to see if the shell quality improves - this will rule out quite a few things.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What are you feeding?

All flock from Bomgaar's.

Are all of them having troubles? How old are they?

No, just one or two. I think it's a couple of my pullets, I never saw any until they started laying. They are about six months old.

Egg Drop Syndrome is not really that common in the U.S.

I would be looking at feed, check for parasites, etc.
Having a camera is a good idea, so you can know which hen(s) are laying soft shelled eggs - see if they are getting picked on or are stressed

I just found a snake in the coop this morning and dealt with it. I wonder if this could be the stressor.

and you can also directly give those particular hens extra calcium to see if the shell quality improves - this will rule out quite a few things.

I'll order a camera so I can identify the chicjen(s) with the problem, thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No, just one or two. I think it's a couple of my pullets, I never saw any until they started laying. They are about six months old.

I just found a snake in the coop this morning and dealt with it. I wonder if this could be the stressor.

Oh, they are new layers? Pullets?
Sometimes you may see a few glitches as they come into lay.
Hopefully the issue will resolve as they mature and become more confident in where to lay.

I'm sure you provide OS free choice, but if you can figure out which pullets are having the problem, then it wouldn't hurt to give them extra Calcium for a few days.

A snake could be a stressor, especially for pullets. I do get a snake in my setups every once in a while, but all my birds are older and they have roosters, so the snake gets out of there fairly quickly. In fact, I've rescued a couple of snakes that were like "get me outta here, I'm surrounded"!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thanks, @Wyorp Rock, I hope you're right. This has been going on for over a month so I hope it clears up soon. Will be ordering a camera soon ... but if they are laying these faulty eggs at night it may still be difficult to ID the responsible birds.