If you’ve ever come across a rubbery chicken egg, your jaw may have hit the floor of the chicken coop. Rubber chicken eggs aren’t necessarily cause for panic, but there are a few reasons your chicken may be laying these watery-like soft eggs.
Why Did My Chicken Lay a Rubbery Egg?
The predictability of a chicken’s reproductive system depends largely on the health of the bird. So when a chicken lays an egg that’s got you scratching your head, you may wonder if there’s something wrong with your chicken.
Here are few reasons your chicken may have laid a less-than-normal egg.
A Sick Hen Might Lay Rubber Eggs
When chickens are ill, their bodies respond differently. Some sick chickens won’t lay eggs at all, while others lay eggs that aren’t typical for them.
Rubbery eggs, eggs without a shell, thin-shelled eggs, or no eggs at all might mean your hen is feeling a little under the weather.
If you suspect that your chicken might be sick, watch for these signs:
- Listlessness
- Isolation
- Fluffed up feathers
- Diarrhea
- Feather loss
- Pale combs
These are some typical signs your chook might not be feeling well. There are a lot of variables that can cause illness in your chicken coop. So if you suspect that you have a sick chick on your hands, consider taking it to the vet to get to the bottom of it.
Calcium Deficiency Can Cause Rubbery Chicken Eggs
When chickens aren’t getting the calcium they need to support a strong eggshell, they will often lay rubbery eggs or eggs with fragile shells.
In addition to poor egg performance, chickens with a calcium deficiency can also have weakened, frail bones, which can cause injury.
To address a low calcium problem, consider providing crushed oyster shells to your chickens. They are packed with calcium!
Another great source of calcium and protein are black soldier fly grubs, like Little Farmer Bug-a-licious or Scratch and Peck Feeds Cluckin Good Grubs. They have 50x the calcium as mealworms.
A Total Newbie Might Lay Rubbery Chicken Eggs
Young hens are still developing, and the first few times they lay eggs, they may not be the most beautiful eggs you were hoping to see in the nesting box.
If your hen is new to the egg-laying game, give her a few months to get her egg factory in working order. If a month or two goes by and she’s still laying strange eggs, there might be an underlying issue. In most cases, she’s probably just a young hen who has a developing reproductive system.
Just give her some time.
An Old Bitty
Older hens may lay a strange egg from time to time, and it isn’t a cause for concern. As chickens age, their bodies change as well. They slow down in egg production and may lay a bizarre rubbery egg from time-to-time.
With that being said, your old cluck may need extra nutritional support in the form of added calcium which can be provided in the form of oyster shells!
Molting May Cause Rubbery Chicken Eggs
Chickens molt every year, usually in the fall when the days start getting shorter.
They shed their feathers, making room for new feathers to settle in just before the weather gets colder.
But molting is exceptionally stressful on chickens, especially egg-laying hens.
Chickens experiencing a molt feel naked, cold, and aren’t as comfortable as they are when they’re fully decked out in their usual feathering.
So many chickens actually stop laying eggs during this stressful time, while others may simply lay irregular eggs.
If your chickens are molting, and their eggs are coming out see-through or rubbery, consider giving them some extra calcium and protein to help them maintain energy during this stressful time.
Chickens love dried bugs, scrambled eggs, and insects. All three of these will give your girls a protein boost during times of stress.
Predators May Be Lurking
Speaking of stress, if your chickens are being harassed by a predator, they may lay less-than-perfect eggs…or stop laying altogether.
One way to know if your coop is being stalked when you’re not around is by listening for your chickens to sound the alarm in the middle of the night.
If your roosters are crowing at abnormal hours, or you hear your hens cackling and scolding when you’re not around, there might be something unsettling nearby.
If you suspect the reason for rubbery eggs is a predator, you can set up a trail cam to keep an eye on the coop when you’re not there. Then you’ll know what you might be dealing with—and how to eradicate the problem.
Rubbery Chicken Eggs Might Just Be A Fluke
Sometimes, your chicken will just lay a rubbery egg because it was simply a one-time occurrence.
Maybe their diet changed, maybe there was a glitch in their system, they were temporarily stressed, or otherwise.
The point is, as long as there aren’t any underlying health issues or concerns, a rubbery chicken egg from time-to-time isn’t something to worry about.
