[Grasshopper]

We have kept various chickens for a fair few years and we saw a real beauty three weeks ago and decided to buy it. It's a Australorp and was doing really grand, laying nice eggs and happily scratting about but about two days ago she started laying eggs with no shell. She's got access to both grit and oyster shell, can anybody tell me what's wrong??

[naturesparadise]

i just found this on a blog after doing a google search

It may appear normal, but this duck egg is missing its shell and is covered only by a thin membrane.

Chickens lay eggs at any old time of day, but ducks are more organized: they almost always lay in the early morning. Sometimes if we let them out of the pen before normal, they're forced to lay eggs in the grass or other odd places. Like the porch.

Every now and then a chicken will lay an egg without a shell. It's usually when they first start laying that this happens -- as if all their parts aren't yet working correctly. But sometimes it occurs long after you'd think all their reproductive processes would be sorted out already.

I tried googling to find the cause, but mainly came up with, "It just happens sometimes." I hadn't noticed the ducks doing it too, until this egg.

As this page on Odd Eggs notes, when you pick it up, it feels like a water balloon.

[Grasshopper]

Thanks NP, that is a relief as we have never come across it before. Cheers

[naturesparadise]

no prob happy to help im good like that      

[ness]

My "mother hen" laid a soft shelled egg yesterday.  She also has access to grit and oyster shell and free ranges and has been laying for 3 - 4 weeks now, after a break looking after chicks.
I'm not sure what causes it but think it may just be a blip.  She laid a normal shelled egg today.  
Weird! :shock:

[Grasshopper]

Clarrissa is back to normal, laying eggs with proper shells. Isn't it wierd how they suddenly start doing that? Thanks for your help.