[viettaclark]

Phyllis, my Magpie is 15 months now. She has been a good layer, even through the Winter she still laid 4/5 eggs a week and now it's back to 7 a week.
She hasn't laid for 2 days now and I wondered why? She is happy and healthy, very active, eating well and no nasty bugs. Two days ago she sat in the nest box for hours and I thought she might be going broody but she's got over that....There's no sign of a blocked vent.
Wondered if it could be something to do with my grandson who is 18 months. All the girls find him scary and run as far away as possible. 

[joyfull]

if she was sat in the nest box for a couple of days then chances are she did go broody - this can take several weeks to get over before she starts laying again.

[Aunt Sally]

Check that she doesn't have a nest somewhere else in the garden.

[viettaclark]

Update...all very weird....
Cleaned out coop and found a soft egg that was red (not blood...more like a pigment) and a broken normal egg. The soft one must have been from the first non-laying day as it was less fresh than the other.
Waited to see if she'd lay today and when she'd been in the nest box for over half an hour I thought I'd get her out. She stood up and dropped a normal egg! Relief all round!
We've got family for Easter and had omelettes for tea. I had the last egg which was the one laid by Phyllis this lunch-time. Luckily I broke it into a bowl first....totally normal EXCEPT there was a weird leathery lump in it (3cm long/2cm across) with a little blood. My daughter reckoned it was an embryo until I explained that they have to mate!!
I hoiked it out and ate the egg with no bad effects.
Could this be a broody thing or is it more serious? Can't see it being a big deal because she is totally normal except for longer periods in the nest box and a peculiar possessive thing about her egg that was taken away. She was also very loud about her egg going too!

[viettaclark]

Hope Mods don't mind me bumping this up....
Please can a chook expert help with this one? Phyllis hasn't laid for 2 days since that weird egg......no eggs anywhere else.
Grandson has gone home today and I'll see what happens but what was that thing in the egg?

[hillfooter]

The weird thing in the egg was what is known as a lash egg.  Basically it's a mal formed or failed egg which in this case hasn't been expelled and a new egg has formed round it.  If a soft shelled egg forms within a chicken it becomes difficult for the hen to lay as the muscular contractions which propell the egg down the oviduct can't get a purchase on the egg.  It may break being rather fragile and the soft leathery shell becomes incorporated into the following properly formed egg.  Soft shelled eggs are often preceeded by a period of depression when the hen looks miserable.  She can quickly pick up once the egg is passed.  See the following links

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=53314
http://wiki.omlet.co.uk/index.php/Soft_Shelled_Eggs

HF

[viettaclark]

Thank-you so much Hillfooter!
I knew what a lash was but didn't realise you get lash eggs too.
Phyllis laid normally this morning.
Makes me think it was an upset due to kids and people being hectic in the garden all week when the chooks usually only have me pottering about. (Although they must have got over it because they were begging for scraps under the garden table by the end of the week!!!)