Occassional soft shells even with free choice Oyster Shell?

[adgcountrygirl]

Every so often, I have been getting a soft shelled egg. In the last few weeks however, I have been getting a soft or already broken egg more than once a week. I think I know which hen is doing it, because her bum feathers have a small spot where not all the feathers are fluffy.

I leave Oyster Shell in 2 bowls as well as scattered around their coop and even the run. Does anyone have any experience with hens that won't consume the Oyster Shell??? Is there anything else I can do besides the Oyster Shell?

 

[reksat]

I am having the same problem as of late and really dont know which bird is doing it or what might be causing it. Hopefully some one might chime in and help out , it will be grately appreciated . Thanks.

 

[racuda]

I get an occasional soft shell, which breaks and makes a mess all over the other eggs. I feed layer pellets, which contain calcium as well as oyster shell. I thought it was a problem with one of the hen's shell making machinery, not a calcium deficiency.

 

[Den in Penn]

A soft shell is can be either a calcium up take problem, or a problem in the depositing calcium.
A lack of calcium in the hens system can be caused by lack of calcium in the diet or an inability to absorb the calcium in the food. A lack of calcium in the diet can be rectified by adding a calcium supplement like oyster shell or feeding back egg shell. Failure to absorb calcium is often caused by a deficiency in vitamin D3, and is helped by the supplementing D3 in the diet or getting her out in the sun more.
Depositing the calcium on the egg takes time. It the egg is hurried through it may not spend enough time in the shell gland. Two examples of this are stress and laying two eggs in too short a time. An illness can also cause the gland not to work well.
Then there is the molting factor. I can't really decide if that is caused by the stress of the molt, the hen not eating well at the on set or some other factor of the molt.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can read what the Egg Quality Handbook says about it. This is intended more for commercial flocks but most of that can apply to us,

Egg Quality Handbook
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

If it is the entire flock doing this, it is probably something to do with the way you feed them or a disease. If it is just one hen doing it, it is something related to that individual hen.

Most hen's instincts tell them to consume calcium if it is available and they need it. Some hen's instincts are messed up. Or their bodies just may not be able to process what they eat.

Are you feeding them Layer as most of what they eat? If you are not and you can, you might want to feed them Layer to make sure she is consuming calcium without forcing the others to eat more calcium than they want. If they are getting calcium in the Layer, the others won't eat extra oyster shell. You could add oyster shell, especially the powder and fines from it, to their regular feed to up her calcium intake, but then you may be forcing the others to eat more calcium than is good for them. It's not always an easy solution.

 

[adgcountrygirl]

Yes, I am feeding them Layer Pellets, and have been since the first one started laying. I did this with the new flock as well. It is one of my one-year old hens. The younger hens seem fine for now.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I occasionally have that problem from a pullet that has just begun laying but she is getting much better. My girls aren't crazy about the oyster shell so I dry and crush their own shells and give them back to them. They love that! I also will give them some yogurt - mixed in with oatmeal - every so often as another source of calcium.