Leghorn hen has been laying shell-less eggs for two weeks

[LaFleche]

Do you keep ducks or other waterfowl with your chickens?

 

[canne50]

Before I get started, let me just say that it's not a life threatening issue, I'm just wanting to pick your brains. I'm pretty sure my girl either has egg drop syndrome or a faulty shell gland.
She's a three year old leghorn hen. She has been laying one egg a day except when she's molting. Even then, she only took a break for like three days at the most. She also doesn't stop laying in the winter month's. Maybe she'll lay 5 eggs instead of 7 per week, but she keeps on going. She has had this issue in the past, but she only laid a soft shell egg (egg without a hard outer shell, just the inner membrane, I believe they're called rubber eggs) every six months or so. Just one, and always at night time.
Starting May 10, she laid one normal egg in the morning and one soft shelled in the evening. On May 13 she started laying only one shoft shelled egg in the evening. In the morning she goes to the nest, sits for a bit and then sings the egg song, without laying. On May 18 and 19 she laid two very thin shelled normal eggs, then on May 20 no egg and from May 21, again, shoft shelled eggs in the evening.
She behaves normally, is absolutely perfect like always, no change in the environment, no stress, no molt. All hens eat a balanced layer feed, and have extra crushed eggshells on the side to munch on whenever they want. They free range all day.
Since all this started I have been giving her 1 tbsp of crushed eggshells in 2 tbsp of yogurt and extra calcium in her water. So if anything, her eggs should have been normal with calcium deposits on the outside of the shell.
Which is why I'm thinking it's a shell gland issue or egg drop syndrome. Has anyone dealt with this before? Will this go on until she stops laying? Will it go away on its own? Is it a leghorn issue? (I should add that she's my only leghorn, I've never had any other of this breed.) I'm aware that they're heavy layers but can't find if they're prone to this anywhere. She's my favourite for personal reasons and I don't care one bit if she never lays an egg ever again, I just want her to be healthy.
I should note that I don't have access to an aviary vet with chicken knowledge. In my country you would be considered a lunatic to want to take your hen to a vet.
Appreciate all your thoughts and input in this matter! (Also, English isn't my first language so if anything doesn't make sense, just ask me for clarification.)

Do you have very long days, like I did in the far north where summer days are very long? I often had hens who laid twice e a day at mid summer.

 

[The Laydies]

Thank you for sharing this post and your findings. I also have a healthy 2 year hen who has started laying soft-shell sometime almost no shell eggs. She has access to oyster shell, etc., so this gives me some idea of what may be going on.

 

[canne50]

Thank you for sharing this post and your findings. I also have a healthy 2 year hen who has started laying soft-shell sometime almost no shell eggs. She has access to oyster shell, etc., so this gives me some idea of what may be going on.

Hope it's so.
No one wants their babies to be ill.
Best to you!

 

[Gleefuul1e12]

Do you have very long days, like I did in the far north where summer days are very long? I often had hens who laid twice e a day at mid summer.

Not really, normal summer days.

 

[Gleefuul1e12]

Thank you for sharing this post and your findings. I also have a healthy 2 year hen who has started laying soft-shell sometime almost no shell eggs. She has access to oyster shell, etc., so this gives me some idea of what may be going on.

You should try giving her calcium citrate and D3 tablets, if it's a simple calcium deficiency it would definitely help her. One every day for 7 days ought to do it. You should notice improvement. If she still doesn't improve, maybe egg drop 76 is what's going on (that's why I said that's what more likely to be going on with my hen). Also, from all the reading I've done I learned that the hybrid breeds may develop more health issues than their sires and they also have shorter lifespans. So an egg layer hybrid breed would give more eggs in the first two years and then naturally decline in egg production and develop reproductive health issues as well. If you're aware of the breed you could look it up. But please don't panic, this is a kind of out-there scenario, most times the simplest explanation is the answer. And of course if you have the means, a vet consult is always an option.

Best of luck to you and your girl!
Reminder that I'm not a vet.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Before I get started, let me just say that it's not a life threatening issue, I'm just wanting to pick your brains. I'm pretty sure my girl either has egg drop syndrome or a faulty shell gland.
She's a three year old leghorn hen. She has been laying one egg a day except when she's molting. Even then, she only took a break for like three days at the most. She also doesn't stop laying in the winter month's. Maybe she'll lay 5 eggs instead of 7 per week, but she keeps on going. She has had this issue in the past, but she only laid a soft shell egg (egg without a hard outer shell, just the inner membrane, I believe they're called rubber eggs) every six months or so. Just one, and always at night time.
Starting May 10, she laid one normal egg in the morning and one soft shelled in the evening. On May 13 she started laying only one shoft shelled egg in the evening. In the morning she goes to the nest, sits for a bit and then sings the egg song, without laying. On May 18 and 19 she laid two very thin shelled normal eggs, then on May 20 no egg and from May 21, again, shoft shelled eggs in the evening.
She behaves normally, is absolutely perfect like always, no change in the environment, no stress, no molt. All hens eat a balanced layer feed, and have extra crushed eggshells on the side to munch on whenever they want. They free range all day.
Since all this started I have been giving her 1 tbsp of crushed eggshells in 2 tbsp of yogurt and extra calcium in her water. So if anything, her eggs should have been normal with calcium deposits on the outside of the shell.
Which is why I'm thinking it's a shell gland issue or egg drop syndrome. Has anyone dealt with this before? Will this go on until she stops laying? Will it go away on its own? Is it a leghorn issue? (I should add that she's my only leghorn, I've never had any other of this breed.) I'm aware that they're heavy layers but can't find if they're prone to this anywhere. She's my favourite for personal reasons and I don't care one bit if she never lays an egg ever again, I just want her to be healthy.
I should note that I don't have access to an aviary vet with chicken knowledge. In my country you would be considered a lunatic to want to take your hen to a vet.
Appreciate all your thoughts and input in this matter! (Also, English isn't my first language so if anything doesn't make sense, just ask me for clarification.)

English isn't your first language? You write better than 98% of the college students i know! Wow. I live in far Northern Maine. I also have no access to poultry vets, believe it or not. Or much else either besides dogs cats and cows. My pet rat got sick and the vet suggested i use dcon (poison) to cure him and hung up on me. Yup. I have 8LHs right now. My only issue has ever been early prolapse. Usually at about 3 years. So it may be a hormone issue since everything you're doing sounds perfect. Perhaps it will get lined out, maybe age related? i hope so. I wish i could help. Of you street already, maybe adding some chicken vitamins would help.

 

[Gleefuul1e12]

English isn't your first language? You write better than 98% of the college students i know! Wow. I live in far Northern Maine. I also have no access to poultry vets, believe it or not. Or much else either besides dogs cats and cows. My pet rat got sick and the vet suggested i use dcon (poison) to cure him and hung up on me. Yup. I have 8LHs right now. My only issue has ever been early prolapse. Usually at about 3 years. So it may be a hormone issue since everything you're doing sounds perfect. Perhaps it will get lined out, maybe age related? i hope so. I wish i could help. Of you street already, maybe adding some chicken vitamins would help.

Haha, thanks, I read lots of books!
Yes, I'm hoping it will resolve itself by mid-July. I am convinced she has EDS 76, and the recovery period takes up to 10 weeks, fingers crossed. I give all my hens vitamins anyway and I gave her extra calcium as well, but hey *shrugs*. It could be age related, because she's 3yo and that's the age leghorns start cutting down on egg production, but I don't think it's quite so dramatic.
Wow, he suggested poison to as in "cure them once and for all", because rats aren't usually kept as pets and he didn't want to be bothered?!
Also, um, wow, have you been able to treat that? I remember that a few years go I glimpsed at an article and it suggested sprinkling sugar on the prolapse and it would go back in..?

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

I

Haha, thanks, I read lots of books!
Yes, I'm hoping it will resolve itself by mid-July. I am convinced she has EDS 76, and the recovery period takes up to 10 weeks, fingers crossed. I give all my hens vitamins anyway and I gave her extra calcium as well, but hey *shrugs*. It could be age related, because she's 3yo and that's the age leghorns start cutting down on egg production, but I don't think it's quite so dramatic.
Wow, he suggested poison to as in "cure them once and for all", because rats aren't usually kept as pets and he didn't want to be bothered?!
Also, um, wow, have you been able to treat that? I remember that a few years go I glimpsed at an article and it suggested sprinkling sugar on the prolapse and it would go back in..?

Am not so sure about sugar in prolapse treatment, never tried it. I do know from my studies that sugar is better for topical wounds than salt. I treat my severe gleet and prolapse with cephalexan, called "fish flex"at my local pet store. I don't care what anyone says, it works, at least it has for me. You must give it to the affected bird at least 2 weeks to avoid bacterial resistance, then wait another 4 weeks for it to clear their eggs. But it has worked on 7 prolapse/ gleet cases here. Only one hen eventually died, but she was almost 6 years old leghorn, so heavy laying for that long .. but oddly, she was cured of the prolapse and gleet and i thought she was better! I guess just old age. I was sad. She was a "gimme" rescue and got me started as a chicken hoarder! Loved that old girl.
And yeah, i guess the vet was just an a**hole. I love my rats very much. I home treated my sickly boy, and he's very much better, but the momma with breast cancer did die. Folks call them pocketdogs. Frankly, i prefer them to dogs by a mile. They are smarter and so affectionate and loving. And hilariously funny. Mine actually use dishes to eat and drink, and they self-bathe more than cats. The domestic ones do not carry diseases these days, not that you can't get an infection called rat fever if you're injured by bite or deep scratch. That's usually from those poor babies who aren't kept in clean bedding. I could go on for days, lol. Love my boys. Thanks for asking! Let me know about the sugar if you try it?

 

[Gleefuul1e12]

I

Am not so sure about sugar in prolapse treatment, never tried it. I do know from my studies that sugar is better for topical wounds than salt. I treat my severe gleet and prolapse with cephalexan, called "fish flex"at my local pet store. I don't care what anyone says, it works, at least it has for me. You must give it to the affected bird at least 2 weeks to avoid bacterial resistance, then wait another 4 weeks for it to clear their eggs. But it has worked on 7 prolapse/ gleet cases here. Only one hen eventually died, but she was almost 6 years old leghorn, so heavy laying for that long .. but oddly, she was cured of the prolapse and gleet and i thought she was better! I guess just old age. I was sad. She was a "gimme" rescue and got me started as a chicken hoarder! Loved that old girl.
And yeah, i guess the vet was just an a**hole. I love my rats very much. I home treated my sickly boy, and he's very much better, but the momma with breast cancer did die. Folks call them pocketdogs. Frankly, i prefer them to dogs by a mile. They are smarter and so affectionate and loving. And hilariously funny. Mine actually use dishes to eat and drink, and they self-bathe more than cats. The domestic ones do not carry diseases these days, not that you can't get an infection called rat fever if you're injured by bite or deep scratch. That's usually from those poor babies who aren't kept in clean bedding. I could go on for days, lol. Love my boys. Thanks for asking! Let me know about the sugar if you try it?

Yeah, unfortunately leghorns live 4-6 years, and I'm dreading that moment for my girl. She's so special to me and I honestly don't know how I'll go on without her.
That's so interesting, I will keep that in mind!
Fortunately, I haven't dealt with any prolapse cases yet.
I have to admit that I don't really like dogs. I don't hate them, but I do hate the way they drool, and lick you. It's just so yucky to me. I've always been a cat girl. And for the past five years a chicken girl as well. I've also, against my will I might add, have been taking in any injured wild birds the people at my village happen to find. I have no idea how it started, but it's certainly been an experience. In my country there aren't many wildlife rescues, most of them don't really care or like to deal with "complicated" cases, and are in, or near, big cities as well. At this moment I have a house sparrow, a starling, and a blackbird. All due to leave at about two weeks. So I guess I'm a bird girl in general.
Anyway, that is to say, I've no idea about rats, besides the random videos I happen to see on tik tok. They sound very intriguing though, I never knew they were so social and smart.
I will let you know, but I hope I won't need it.