What is this? practice/wind egg? lash egg?

[Back2Roots]

I found this in the nest box this morning. Not sure whether it's a practice egg/wind egg from my EO pullet, who has been checking out the nest box A LOT over the last few days (she should be starting to lay any time now), or if it's some sort of weird alien lash egg from my 3 year-old BSL, who has stopped laying for about 3 days and was acting weird last evening. Not laying for 3 days is not normal for her: she usually lays one a day with the occasional day break. I found it in my BSL's usual spot where she lays.She usually lays large light brown eggs, and sometimes the shells are a bit thin, but they have never been shell-less



.
This thing feels like a gel-filled balloon.

 

[Back2Roots]

Anybody? Would welcome any ideas on what this could be. My hen is acting normal but no eggs since she expelled this thing. Yeah, I've pretty much dismissed the possibility of it being a practice egg from my pullet: it looks too "intestinal". AKA, gross.

 

[aart]

Could be either.
Have you cut it open to see if it's lash or something else?

 

[ShockValue]

I'm far from an expert, but I would guess that's from the BSL.

 

[Back2Roots]

Quote:
No, I haven't yet, but did put it in a freezer bag in the freezer so that I could dissect it after work today (wanted to wait until hubby was home too)
Quote:
That's what I'm leaning towards too, but will know more this evening when I cut it open to see what's inside. My BSL hasn't laid an egg since about 4 days before she expelled this (if it is a lash egg from her), so that makes me think that she has reached the end of her egg-producing days. Figures. She is a rescue, and I've only had her a month, so the previous owner got most of her eggs. Well, since she laid 25 eggs this month before she stopped, and I only have one other laying hen at the moment who lays sporadically (of the other 5 in my flock, one is broody with chicks, and the others aren't laying yet), she has saved me from having to buy eggs this month anyway. She deserves a nice retirement.

 

[Back2Roots]

So here are the results of the dissection: it looks like a yoke with no egg white and no shell. Possibly an internal lay. Or a practice egg ... IDK, but since Twyla (BSL) hasn't laid anything since, I'm still leaning towards lash egg, her last egg-laying hooray. No smell, and it was the consistency of a soft boiled egg yoke.

 

[aart]

Consistency probably has to do with freezing it.

I'd say that it is was just what it looks like, a yolk with no albumen or shell....maybe the old girl is still releasing ova but the rest of the assembly line is not functioning?

From what I've read and seen pics of, lash eggs look different, more just like layers of tissue and are usually pretty firm.

 

[Back2Roots]

Quote:
You're right, and I came to the same conclusion after reading more about the details of the chicken's egg-making process. It looks like the assembly line quit right after producing the yoke and releasing it from the ovary into the oviduct and covered by a membrane. It also looks like one chalaza did form on one end of the yoke, but not the second one. There was no albumen added or shell. Bottom line is I concure with you: The old girl's egg-making assembly line isn't working any more. So, not a lash egg, just the factory shutting down operations.