Weird eggs - trying to identify cause

[sooartsyfartsy]

NOTE:

I am currently reading all other “poopy butt”-related threads for answers as well. I’m almost sure this issue may be vent gleet but wanted to see if vent gleet causes the weird eggs we are finding.

One of my hens consistently lays HUGE, weird eggs. Trying to identify which hen and I THINK it may be Pepper. Eggs are always huge, misshapen, and are always on the thinner-shelled side, always have surface cracks/fissures in the middle. Some of the fissures can be slightly felt by touch too. I attached a pic of 3 of them along with a normal sized darker brown egg from another hen for size comparison. The hen I THINK is laying them does have runnier poop than the others. I know this because there is always poop on the roost when she lays and it’s never the typica “ball” of normal poop…I always have to scrape it off - it’s not watery, just not at all “firm” like normal. She consistently has a dirty butt, which I used to wash every week when the weather wasn’t cold - I’ve done it a few times since winter started and always dry her butt as best I can before she goes back outside. I’m thinking she may be the layer of these egg only because she has the Dirty butt issue and my friend mentioned she had a hen lay these type of eggs that had an infection. Friend says I should get some antibiotics but I wanted to check here first. In the past, I have applied an antibacterial/anti fungal cream to her vent after washing/drying (i think I got that advice online a while ago) - I did this and it seemed to relieve the redness but she still has a dirty butt. It’s not a “poopy butt”…more like wet or goopy like she sat in a runny egg and it dried on her feathers. She is very healthy and happy and eats/drinks fine. She’s about a year and a half old and is a Barred Rock - sweet, confident bird that is neither a bully nor picked on - she just fits in fine and always has. Her comb is bright red (only about 4 of my 10 hens are currently laying due to winter/recent molting). I give them Purina layer feed (I do add hot water to a pan to make a porridge every morning, but they always have dry feed as well) meal worms, black soldier flies, and scratch daily. I also add B12 rooster booster to their water. I also always have separate containers of oyster shells, chick grit, and big girl grit - I also save all eggs shells and feed them back to them about once a week or 2. No other birds have ever had this issue.
Is anyone confident this my be my hen that is laying These weird eggs?? Could it be related to an infection or the butt issue? Should I buy an over the counter antibiotic and feel orally?? Or only use a cream topically? Are her eggs okay to eat? Should I avoid eating the eggs if she does end up taking the antibiotic? Why would this be happening to only one bird out of my other hens? Does this rule out the cause being the food? Any tips on treating/managing/preventing this would help! Sorry for the long post - I’ll try to get a “butt pic” and add that as well.

Thanks to everyone - this site is a life saver

 

[sooartsyfartsy]

Sorry for the bad lighting in the pics - I’ll try to get a better image of the fissures

 

[aart]

Looks like a shell gland glitch rather than some disease that would need medication.

 

[coach723]

I don't think you need to give an antibiotic, and that may disrupt her gut and only make things worse. There are a lot of things that can impact shell quality, and narrowing it down can take some time and detective work. I will attach a link below with some causes listed.
First off I would look at the treats you are giving. Anything other than feed can cause them to decrease their intake of regular feed which can decrease intake of trace elements needed for proper shell and egg production, and some birds can be much more sensitive than others. I would limit the soldier fly, meal worm and scratch to only very occasionally. Some birds will pig out on the treats and not eat enough feed. Certain greens can also inhibit calcium absorption, those high in oxalates. If you can identify for sure the bird laying those eggs, you can supplement calcium for a week or two with a calcium citrate +D once a day orally, to see if it helps. If it's a shell gland malfunction, and it could be, then there isn't really anything to do for that.
Since the shells are cracked, I would use the eggs right away rather than storing them, and only if the inner membrane is intact. I have an older bird that lays thinner shelled eggs like this, as long as the membrane is still intact I will use them that day or the next, but I don't keep them longer. Sadly, sometimes they get broken in the nest box from getting hit by another egg or stepped on, and then the birds eat it. I don't use them if the membrane is ruptured.
https://osbornesfarm.com/blogs/news/increasing-shell-strength-in-chicken-eggs

 

[sooartsyfartsy]

Thank you so much, @coach723. I appreciate the advice - it all makes perfect sense. I’ll try to get my husband to give less treats (he’s the culprit with that even though I’ve told him to cut back). I’ll also try to monitor her better when she’s eating I’ll try to start isolating her when I give the egg shells so she gets a good portion for herself. I’ll also check out the calcium citrate. Thanks again for your guidance!

 

[sooartsyfartsy]

Looks like a shell gland glitch rather than some disease that would need medication.

Thanks, @aart - I’ve never heard of that before so I’ll look into that! I appreciate the help