Soft Shell Egg question...

[moniquem]

Hi There,

I have 4 hens, all about 6 months old, an EE, BA, SS and BR. My EE and BA are laying eggs and have been successfully, my SS not really even squatting....

My concern is the BR. She has been laying for a few weeks now and I would say 50% of the time I get great big brown eggs from her. The other 50% I get soft shelled eggs, maybe two in a day. She also goes to the box like she's going to lay but box is empty and she walks around kind of whinning all the time, if chickens can whine. last night I found an egg without any shell around it-just yolk and clear fluidy stuff.

I feed Purina Layena, supplement oyster shell (which they dont eat) and give them very few snacks. Any suggestions? I know it takes a while for them to get into an egg-laying groove but I'm starting to get worried about her. FYI: She is the top hen of the group and they live a very stress free life-trust me! Coop is 4x4, which they only use at night, during the day they have the whole run of the yard so they can pick and peck all day long.

 

[ashlierami]

Hi There,

I have 4 hens, all about 6 months old, an EE, BA, SS and BR. My EE and BA are laying eggs and have been successfully, my SS not really even squatting....

My concern is the BR. She has been laying for a few weeks now and I would say 50% of the time I get great big brown eggs from her. The other 50% I get soft shelled eggs, maybe two in a day. She also goes to the box like she's going to lay but box is empty and she walks around kind of whinning all the time, if chickens can whine. last night I found an egg without any shell around it-just yolk and clear fluidy stuff.

I feed Purina Layena, supplement oyster shell (which they dont eat) and give them very few snacks. Any suggestions? I know it takes a while for them to get into an egg-laying groove but I'm starting to get worried about her. FYI: She is the top hen of the group and they live a very stress free life-trust me! Coop is 4x4, which they only use at night, during the day they have the whole run of the yard so they can pick and peck all day long.

I had a hen like this. She eventually stopped laying altogether and I tried to supplement her and I still provide her with the proper feed. My silkie went broody at 6 months, had her chick, started laying about 3 weeks after hatch, laid for about a month and she started with soft shelled eggs or no shell at all. She even was egg bound. Now she doesn't lay. Your hen might just need something extra. You could try feeding her egg shells that have been crushed. I give my hens boiled eggs shell and all. It never made a change for my silkie but my other hen lays perfectly.

 

[snow5164]

I feel for you as one or two of mine lay paper thin shells every few days.

I thought it was from stress so I got rid of the 8 birds we’d added to their flock , so as you said there’s no stress now .

I’ve fed mine cottage cheese and wild bird seed( high protein )just to try and correct the issue.

I’ve never dewormed , gave them pumpkin seeds yesterday,

I find it kind of funny that when mine lay a dozen a day I feel so proud but when there’s a softie or two I feel personally responsible

 

[moniquem]

I find it kind of funny that when mine lay a dozen a day I feel so proud but when there’s a softie or two I feel personally responsible

I'm new to all the chicken stuff so just want to know if there is anything I'm not doing that I should. Also, is this normal and how long does it continue?

 

[snow5164]

I’m not familiar with your food , but it’s a layer from a big company so it should be good .

If one is laying differently then the rest she might just need a little extra calcium , to harden her shells.Hard boil a few eggs , crush them and feed them to her with the shell on.

She might just be getting into the groove of laying ... it can take a month or two for them to lay consistently.

Then if you make any change at all the soft eggs could come again , they are not machines and will never lay 100% perfect eggs all the time .

 

[snow5164]

There is an article titled :
common-egg-quality-problems

It’s very informative

 

[Col1948]

I too have a 'Black Rock' that lays soft shell eggs, I thought at first she was breaking them open to eat but now I think they get broken by accident.
I had one today, broke open and the shell was really soft, the insides were still in it.
I've seen her eat the Oyster shell and grit plus I crush egg shells and add to the feed.
I have another hen who lays perfect hard shell eggs everytime and another who hasn't laid yet.

Col.

 

[snow5164]

Try giving them high calcium treats , just to see if it helps ....

I changed to grower way back my egg production dropped, they weren’t eating the oyster shells/egg shells .

They’re back on layer now

 

[Flappy]

There is an article titled :
common-egg-quality-problems

It’s very informative

 

[Flappy]