There is definitely something wrong with Marmite’s egg laying machinery. Marmite was laying normally last year and even went broody a few times.
This year Marmite has struggled to lay all year. She often looks miserable the day before laying and most of her eggs have been soft shelled despite the fact that she regularly goes to the grit and oyster shell dispenser.
Four months ago Marmite laid a weird shaped egg with no yolk. A few days ago Marmite had her humped, miserable, stance and we knew she was about to lay again after a months break.
The next day she went in the nest box and I kept a close eye on her. When I checked her she had just laid another weird egg. As usual Marmite bounced back once she had laid.
I feel so sorry for Marmite to have to keep going through this and there is nothing I can do to help her. I had hoped it might improve with time but I think this weird egg shows that there is something wrong inside her.
We have had soft shelled eggs in the past but we have never seen the sort of strange eggs that Marmite lays and we know that it means there is something adrift.
We have to be prepared that Marmite won’t be a long lived girl. Every time this happens we think that we are going to lose her and every time she bounces back it is a great relief.
I don’t know how long Marmite can go on like this. I worry about her not being able to pass the complete egg. It will be very bad for her if she gets some egg stuck inside her.
We have to make the most of every day that we still have her.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Poor Marmite, it’s so horrible to watch them suffer! xx
It is awful. The weird egg was yesterday and she bounced back but as the day went on today she looked miserable again. She then pooped on the patio and it looked like it had a worm in it. On close inspection it was a bit of rolled up egg shell like the top piece in the first photo. It is always my worry that she won’t expel all of it. I did some dishes of mash and Marmite had a good feed but she has been up and down this afternoon. Sometimes she looks better then miserable again. I think we need to see what tomorrow brings. I am not sure if she has another one coming. She is the one girl in the flock that I worry about. xx
This morning Marmite is back to her normal self again. I think it must have been passing that last bit of egg shell yesterday that made her uncomfortable. I just hope that she can keep passing them.
P.S. What did you think of Smoke in my last post, did your girls ever puff themselves up like that?
Poor old thing. It is sad to have all this trouble at the end of her life.
I have never seen such a strange egg before.
Marmite is only young, she is two years old and this is only her second year laying so it is really sad. I don’t think she will have a long life as there must be something wrong inside. I hate to see her struggle and many times we have thought that we would lose her. I too have never seen such strange eggs and I have googled it and can’t find any information on this.
Has she moulted yet? A significant period of stoppage for the moult would be a blessing for her – and for you.
She seems to have lost a few breast feathers but nothing much. She is the only girl that I would like to go broody but experience tells me that problem layers don’t go broody unfortunately. Last year when she laid fine she went broody but this year with her problem laying no broodiness. I just wish she would stop laying but there is nothing we can do about that.