Chronic soft egg issue

[Sallyhens]

Hello! I have a Gold Laced Wyandotte who has always had some egg issues.

- once or twice a month she’ll lay eggs with such thin and brittle shells that they break when you try to write the date on them.
- every few months or so she’ll lay a shell-less or *very* soft shelled egg.

My hens are on Dumor Organic layer feed, have oyster shell available, as well as eggshells (shells from hard boiled eggs-some hens prefer it). They don’t free range much (1-2 hours per day), I give them treats but I don’t give them junk food (ie they get veggies, fruits, nuts, no breads or anything). I try to stick to 10% of their diet but sometimes I go over that because I get carried away with the peas. I tend to give treats in the later part of the day. They have a nice covered run but definitely get sunshine in there.

I have a flock of 6 and she’s the only one with issues, so I imagine maybe she has a genetic problem or doesn’t absorb calcium well.

Any suggestions on boosting her calcium? Maybe she needs D3 to help with absorption?

I’m considering giving them all a round of vitamins in their water (I probably only do that a couple times a year).

I’d appreciate any words of wisdom y’all might have! Thanks and happy chickening.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I have a EE with the same issue, I've gotten shell less, lash, double yoke's and huge shelled eggs. She lays some sort of egg I think every other day, most are shell less which she usually will eat.

 

[Mountain Roost]

The oyster shell calcium doesn't do it for one of my two geese. I give her people calcium citrate powder. We have found that an every-other day "Goosium" allows her to lay shelled eggs. The soft shells are hard to push out and she would get a back up of eggs because of this. I would find her pouting.

To give her the calcium we mix it with a meatball amount of feed just for her.

 

[Angelareynolds1111]

The oyster shell calcium doesn't do it for one of my two geese. I give her people calcium citrate powder. We have found that an every-other day "Goosium" allows her to lay shelled eggs. The soft shells are hard to push out and she would get a back up of eggs because of this. I would find her pouting.

To give her the calcium we mix it with a meatball amount of feed just for her.

Hi, ty for sharing. Can you explain what you give her? Meatball? Hamburger meat? Then how much calcium citrate powder do you give? Is that like one tablet of tums?

 

[LaFleche]

Any suggestions on boosting her calcium? Maybe she needs D3 to help with absorption?

Yes, I would give a daily tablet of calcium citrate 600 +D3 for 7 consecutive days and add a little vitamin C to help with the uptake.

I’m considering giving them all a round of vitamins in their water (I probably only do that a couple times a year).

Good idea. Try once a week and consider deworming also.