# Balloon egg. I t



## Ptamom (9 mo ago)

Poco, my ISA Brown, has been laying eggs regularly for about 1 month. Usually, her eggs are normal. Yesterday, when we collected her egg (lays early morning) it wasn’t hard shelled and instead a balloon egg.
Later in the day, I noticed she wasn’t acting normal and monitored her. After a while, she laid another balloon egg (this time out of her nesting box).

The internet said that this could be a variety of reasons some of which were low calcium or stress.
I am feeding her the same layer food and have added some garlic, sea kelp, (something else I can’t remember) I am not sure if I added oyster shell this time. If she was stressed, it could be because she escaped the run and was by herself or something that I am not aware of.

I don’t spend the entire day with my ladies but enough time that I know their habits.

This morning there wasn’t an egg when my husband let them out.

I have added oyster shell to their food again. What should I do now?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Have there been any other changes to environment?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Or extra feathers laying around? She might be going into a molt.


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## Ptamom (9 mo ago)

robin416 said:


> Or extra feathers laying around? She might be going into a molt.


The environment is the same; just been hotter. We were gone for a week and our son looked after the ladies. We have been back for a week now and things were fine. I looked and the other item i had to their mix is a probiotic blend.

All the ladies groom themselves on a regular basis and I haven't noticed a lot of feathers lying around; just a few. 

Today, she hasn't laid and I am hoping that perhaps her schedule is resetting itself. An egg would be there in the mornings when we let them out (usually around 7am)while the other 2 lay by 11am.

The only thing that I have done differently was feed them some chicken (teriyaki) that was a few days old. Usually, I don't feed them too much table food as we put it in the compost. One of the ladies has loose stool.

When it is hot outside, they have shade and I have water placed around the areas that they congregate around the most. I feed them watermelon and this am. put iced berries in their water (they snub their nose at it) I also put some Pedialyte in their water (not daily..as needed).

I read cottage cheese is good for them but am confused as I thought dairy wasn't good for them.

Any advice, is deeply appreciated.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Stop with all the side stuff. And chicken teriyaki? The amount of salt in that could be very dangerous for them. No more human food with any spices. Throwing stuff at them just confuses what changes need to be made.

She might need side dosing with Calci Boost, a liquid goat calcium. 

How old is this bird that is having the laying issues?


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## Lillith (10 mo ago)

I agree with the sentiments that you should limit the human food and treats you are giving them. Any additional treats just diminish the nutrients they are receiving from their layer feed, and can lead to nutrient deficiencies and obesity.

If you are already feeding them layer feed, you should not put additional oyster shell in their food. You can offer it *separately* in different dish for them to eat as they need. Be careful with additional supplements...in my humble opinion, most of if is bull excrement in pretty packaging backed by excellent marketing with little to no science to prove its efficacy. Their regular balanced feed, oyster shell, and clean water is all they need. And yes, dairy is not good for chickens.

I have a couple of ISA Browns, and every few months its like one of them had a hiccup and lays a couple of rubber eggs or very thin shelled eggs. These chickens have laid at least one egg for me every day, and sometimes two. They're a breed bred to produce and produce A LOT, and I think sometimes their systems grind some gears.

Personally, I would keep an eye on her, but I wouldn't be throwing the kitchen sink at her unless a more definitive symptom popped up that would help me determine if she's actually ill. Try to monitor her feed and water intake, if her activity level is normal, and try to watch her poop to see what that looks like. It can be a pretty good indicator of a chicken's health.


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## Ptamom (9 mo ago)

robin416 said:


> Stop with all the side stuff. And chicken teriyaki? The amount of salt in that could be very dangerous for them. No more human food with any spices. Throwing stuff at them just confuses what changes need to be made.
> 
> She might need side dosing with Calci Boost, a liquid goat calcium.
> 
> How old is this bird that is having the laying issues?


Yes, I know I made a mistake with the spices. She is 7 mos.
Where can I get the Calci boost?

Thx for the help.


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## Ptamom (9 mo ago)

Lillith said:


> I agree with the sentiments that you should limit the human food and treats you are giving them. Any additional treats just diminish the nutrients they are receiving from their layer feed, and can lead to nutrient deficiencies and obesity.
> 
> If you are already feeding them layer feed, you should not put additional oyster shell in their food. You can offer it *separately* in different dish for them to eat as they need. Be careful with additional supplements...in my humble opinion, most of if is bull excrement in pretty packaging backed by excellent marketing with little to no science to prove its efficacy. Their regular balanced feed, oyster shell, and clean water is all they need. And yes, dairy is not good for chickens.
> 
> ...


Thx. I will finish up with the layer feed that I have mixed. It only has corn, grubs, layer feed, and safflower seeds. My ladies have been eating this since I got them in Jan.

I will also stop with the additional supplements (seen it on Lisa’s blog) and I will stop with the treats until the problem gets resolved. 

Yes, all my ladies are laying more than anticipated and I assumed it would lessen as time goes on. 

Thx for the help.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If you need the Calci Boost it can be found at TSC in the large animal aisles.


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## Lillith (10 mo ago)

Yeah, definitely stop mixing extras into the layer feed. They don't need extra corn, either, especially not in the summer. It's a carb and helps them generate heat...so not great in summer. Also note, grubs and safflower seeds are high in protein, and too much protein for a chicken can lead to health problems like kidney failure. The layer feed already has everything they need!


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