New chicken mom and freaked out.

[Flowerladies]

I have 3 Buffy’s all about 9 mo. They have all been very hearty and happy. They have laid 1 egg a day for a while now.
Yesterday one egg was bigger and I broke it when I picked it up (I’m used to the super thick shells). There were 2 yolks inside.
Today there were three eggs in the coup today as usual.
My daughter was holding one of our girls and she laid an egg without a shell on her lap. It just had a membrane.
I’m wondering if the two situations are connected? This is the first time anything has been different with their eggs.

If it was all the same hen then she laid a double, then one, then un-shelled egg all within 2 days.

What do I do? What do I keep an eye out for?

 

[Mrs. K]

Oyster shell does not need to be fresh. It does not decompose.

 

[Mrs. K]

No, they hardly touch it. They will if they need it. Really the layer feed is meeting most of their needs. If you have that out and are feeding layer, this is not probably a deficiency issue. This sounds to me like a very typical laying issue. They are not machines. Sometimes they are a little off. Nothing to really worry about.

 

[Loving my girls]

Personally I wouldn’t worry. Young hens often take a little while to get themselves on track.
Double yolkers are a short lived gift from the youngsters - enjoy them
Make sure they always have access to grit, oyster shell is a popular cheap choice here but anything calcium rich. It helps with the shell also their bone development while young.
I’ve had hens for over 50 years and still get soft shells but very rarely. we all have an off day I guess. But if it does happen regularly you will need to find out who’s laying them.
With regard to the food, I agree with the others, you should be feeding them with layers feed (16% protein is fine) and reducing their treats (hard to do but necessary)
Enjoy your girlz
Hugz

 

[Perris]

Their eggs are still small and very hard/thick. Harder than a normal egg to crack. So I definitely didn’t think about calcium.

I agree with you. The shell-less egg was one glitch in a long series of strong shells. Ignore it unless it becomes a common occurrence.

They are eating

Manna Pro All Flock Crumbles | 16% Protein Level | Complete Feed for Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Gamebirds | Probiotics to Support Digestion | Crumbled Form for Easy Feeding​

and these as a treat…

Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Chickens - Non-GMO Poultry Feed Supplement, 85X More Calcium​

And of course fresh spinach/ veggie/ fruits. They forage all day between their feed.

Sounds fine to me (though I give mine real and live worm foods).

Until yesterday all of their shells were so hard, sometimes you could drop them without breaking them.

exactly. This indicates there's nothing wrong with their shells or the amount of calcium in what you are feeding.

Why would worm treats cause a shell issue?

Exactly. It doesn't.

Be aware that there are risks with too much calcium. Trust your birds to judge for themselves what they need from the varied diet and forage you already give them. One shell-less egg is not reason to change your whole approach.

 

[Mrs. K]

Whoa! I think this is very normal. New layers frequently have a glitch or two as they are starting out. Some for more than a month.

It is not uncommon to get double yolkers, my sons thought they were lucky, or shell less eggs, especially in the spring or when they first start laying.

If you do nothing but what you are doing it will straighten out in as about the same time if you treat.

Supply good feed, water and enough space is really what is best for chickens. I am pretty sure with both laying feed and oyster shell provided, these birds have enough calcium.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

New layers often begin with odd eggs. I get 'fairy' eggs, double yolks, some hens continue with membrane and no shell.
Double yolks I think means you've a very healthy hen which will probably continue to lay them off and on.
The membrane no shell never laid one in shell. She moved out last summer with some other EEs.
Good luck.

I agree, glitches are most common when pullets are starting to lay and when hens are getting older. I had an egg laid without a shell just a few days ago, and I assume it came from one of my four-year-old hens.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Yes. But I did notice that it hadn’t been eaten much. It wasn’t wet or anything, could it have gone bad?

No it usually doesn't go bad. Do you ever give them their own eggshells as a calcium supplement? You just have to bake it and then crush it. They love it and will eat it up like treats! Mine much prefer the dried eggshells over the oyster shells but I mix them and leave them out together.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Only a couple of times. Should I just be giving them all their shells back?

I feel so guilty. Until yesterday all of their shells were so hard, sometimes you could drop them without breaking them.

Can I give them some sort of liquid version so they get it in quickly?

Is the calcium citrate the same as the people supplement?

Yes same calcium citrate as human supplement. That's probably the quickest way to give them calcium.

I have 5 laying hens and I do give them all the shells from the eggs we eat. They love it. But still offer them the oyster shell because apparently the eggshell calcium doesn't stay in their bodies as long.

Don't feel bad. Sometimes even if you do the right things an occasional soft shell or shell less egg can happen.

One time I had 2 girls out of the blue start. Ended up taking them to the avian vet and he said cut out all treats. Which was so hard to do because they enjoy it so much. He said just stick to their layer feed esp because they pick up stuff (worms, greens, etc) already when they are in the yard free ranging. I did what he said and it resolved in a couple of days. I was shocked. So you may try withholding the treats for now until they get their right balance again. They don't NEED the treats.

Also I saw you feed them an All Flock. May I ask why? All Flock doesn't have the same amount of calcium you'd find in a Layer feed. That could be part of your issue.

To answer your question, all chickens react differently so it's not unusual to see one issue in a chicken that's not present in another. Just like in humans living under the same conditions.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Why would worm treats cause a shell issue?

It was suggested by my neighbor and when researching, it seemed like a good option (for layers too).

That one also had lots of pre and probiotic stuff. Do you have a better recommendation?

It's not the worms in particular. It's that treats should be given in a very limited amount (no more than 10% of your regular diet - or 1 tablespoon per girl per day) because they throw off the healthy nutritional balance of a chicken's diet. Just like humans. Some people believe in giving NO treats at all for this reason.

I don't have a particular brand to recommend. Just that since you have laying hens,, you should be giving them a 'layer feed'. All Flock is good if you have a mixed flock of roosters, different ages, meat birds, etc. whereby you can't give them a specific feed meant for that type/age of bird.
I personally use Scratch & Peck brand. As well as Grubbly Farm. Both are on the pricier side. There are lots of others out there.