Pullet laid 2 underdeveloped eggs under roosting bar

[Yellow321]

4.5 month old mutt breed pullet laid 2 thin shelled eggs under roosting bar last night! These two would have been her 4th and 5th eggs.

One is nearly translucent very soft and burst upon impact. The other is slightly more solid but still see through as it looks like it didn't fully create its hard shell. You can see a little white starting to develop in the photo. Both eggs are small.

Her first 3 eggs she's been perfect - going on the nesting box. Although small, they had nice solid thick brown shells. And they progressively got bigger. I put out oyster shell yesterday. She ate a few pieces throughout the day.

And then this double egg roosting bar madness happened last night!

Is this normal pullet body-regulating behavior?! This is my first time with chickens and my first chicken laying.

It might be worth mentioning but since her first egg, she has been foraging and eating a lot of teenie tiny pebbles in the yard. Her poops have been loose with a TON of little pebbles in it. Mostly little clear or white ones. So they're running right through her. I thought it odd. Not sure if that's related. Maybe she has a tummy ache now that she has started laying (chicken PMS cramps???) Is this normal pullet or chicken behavior in the beginning of egg laying?

She is otherwise acting and eating completely normal.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It is a combination of being a new egg layer and not having access to oyster shells until yesterday. She was eating all of the pebbles because she was trying to increase her calcium intake. Pebbles have natural mineral content albeit most much lower than what she needs which is why she was eating so many.

 

[Yellow321]

It is a combination of being a new egg layer and not having access to oyster shells until yesterday. She was eating all of the pebbles because she was trying to increase her calcium intake. Pebbles have natural mineral content albeit most much lower than what she needs which is why she was eating so many.

@HollowOfWisps
Good to know. I read I was supposed to only put out oyster shell when they start laying. She laid her first one 3 days ago. Was I supposed to put it out literally immediately after that first egg?! I didn't think 3 days would make such a big difference.

Also, why would she push out 2 weak eggs at once? And at night?

Should I somehow give her a quick absorbing calcium supplement of some kind? Or will she be ok now that she has the oyster shells?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

@HollowOfWisps
Good to know. I read I was supposed to only put out oyster shell when they start laying. She laid her first one 3 days ago. Was I supposed to put it out literally immediately after that first egg?! I didn't think 3 days would make such a big difference.

Also, why would she push out 2 weak eggs at once? And at night?

Should I somehow give her a quick absorbing calcium supplement of some kind? Or will she be ok now that she has the oyster shells?

Layer feed you wait until they are laying, but you should put oyster shells out a couple of weeks before they start laying. It’s the forced calcium that can be a problem, but with oyster shell they will only take what they need. They still need calcium to make those initial egg shells. Yes new layers can lay at all times and sometimes two in a day will happen. It takes a good month at least for their system to work out the kinks. It wouldn’t hurt to give her extra calcium if you have it on hand.

 

[Yellow321]

Layer feed you wait until they are laying, but you should put oyster shells out a couple of weeks before they start laying. It’s the forced calcium that can be a problem, but with oyster shell they will only take what they need. They still need calcium to make those initial egg shells. Yes new layers can lay at all times and sometimes two in a day will happen. It takes a good month at least for their system to work out the kinks. It wouldn’t hurt to give her extra calcium if you have it on hand.

@HollowOfWisps
Well shoot. She's been checking out the nesting boxes for a couple weeks now and doing fake egg songs . Now I feel bad for not putting it out then.

I'm not going to feed layer feed because I have 3.5 month old roosters and all of my others aren't laying yet. I have a batch of 3.5 months olds and 4.5 month olds all together so I had planned on sticking with my Naturewise Starter Grower for a while and just supplement with oyster shell. Now I know I should have put it out a bit earlier!

Thanks for the help.

 

[Yellow321]

UPDATE: she didn't lay anything for 2 days and now I just saw 2 soft underdeveloped eggs under the roosting bar this morning again.

Since this post I had put out oyster shell and she has eaten a lot of it each day. She has slowed down on eating the tiny pebbles and I'm seeing way less in her poop. But she's still eating them.

She's still acting and eating normally.

@HollowOfWisps I know you said the first month can be wonky. But I just want to be sure (again) that this isn't something I should be concerned over and I should do something about? Is this just a matter of waiting until that oystershell breaks down in her system? Maybe I could give some crushed eggshells for a faster breakdown than the oyster shells? I was trying to avoid giving eggshells because I didn't want to encourage egg eating.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also, why would she push out 2 weak eggs at once? And at night?

I know you said the first month can be wonky. But I just want to be sure (again) that this isn't something I should be concerned over and I should do something about?

It's just a hiccup with the reproductive system coming online and working out it's kinks.. all kinds of madness may be seen.

See the video in the following link.. the rest of the article is decent also.. but be careful not to jump to conclusions like disease but look at all your contributing factors..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

I was trying to avoid giving eggshells because I didn't want to encourage egg eating.

This is not an issue in my experience.. just crush them a bit, into pieces not into powder. I just let them dry first on the counter to prevent mold.

 

[Yellow321]

UPDATE: After a few days of not laying, she finally laid an egg yesterday! It was small. Brown with dark brown freckles all over it. But it had a normal hard shell. And it was during the day, in the nesting box - Yay!

She is still eating a lot of tiny pebbles off the ground all over the run though. And those pebbles are all in her poops. She eats a lot of the oyster shells too. Is she missing some other nutrient that I can give her on a regular basis? Maybe her feed isn't sufficient enough? Or should I just wait it out and see if she regulates?

 

[Yellow321]

@HollowOfWisps @EggSighted4Life Here I am again! It's been 3ish weeks now. Same hen - her poops have not gone back to normal yet. She is still eating a lot of tiny pebbles and all of her poops are basically straight water with little pebbles in it? I think her egg laying has regulated as I haven't seen anymore soft eggs under the roost. But are these liquid water poops normal for the first month of laying? I have another one that has started laying and her poops are all normal.

I treated 6 days for coccidiosis thinking maybe, just maybe. No change. Should I treat for worms with Valbazen? (they've never been wormed before) She is still acting and eating and drinking laying normal.

 

[Jlachickens]

@HollowOfWisps
Good to know. I read I was supposed to only put out oyster shell when they start laying. She laid her first one 3 days ago. Was I supposed to put it out literally immediately after that first egg?! I didn't think 3 days would make such a big difference.

Also, why would she push out 2 weak eggs at once? And at night?

Should I somehow give her a quick absorbing calcium supplement of some kind? Or will she be ok now that she has the oyster shells?

Have you switched to layer feed?