Pullet laying on roosting bar but trying nesting box all day

[MDieckmeyer]

I’m new to raising chickens, so I don’t know much. I have 6 chickens, all different breeds. One of my pullets is laying from the roosting bar at night. They are tissue paper thin eggs with a detached thicker but still soft shell. She laid her first 2 eggs like that, then laid one solid egg, and this morning I found another the weird egg. I’ve read it’s normal for the first eggs to be soft, but should I be concerned since she reverted back after laying a solid one? Since she’s only my second pullet to lay, they are still on starter crumbles. I have oyster shell available in the coop. The other question I have is I’m not 100% sure which one is doing it. My guess is my Olive Egger. She spends a lot of time in the nesting boxes during the day, about 30-45 min at a time, and she comes out singing her egg song, but no egg yet. So I assume it’s her. But I also have a Cream Legbar, but I’ve never seen her in the nesting boxes. I honestly can’t tell if the egg looks more green or blue though. But is it normal for a hen to sit in the nesting boxes for that long and still lay from the roosting bar?

 

[DobieLover]

I’ve read it’s normal for the first eggs to be soft, but should I be concerned since she reverted back after laying a solid one?

I'd be concerned enough to be offering her 550-650mg of calcium citrate with D for a week.

But is it normal for a hen to sit in the nesting boxes for that long and still lay from the roosting bar?

Yes. It is difficult to push out a shell-less or soft shelled egg. Without the hard shell to push against the membrane just gives so they strain much harder to expel it from their bodies.

Get an old tube of lipstick and smear it around the vent of the pullet you suspect is laying the soft shelled eggs. You would then be able to see some amount of color on the membrane left under the roost. I would pick a color other than red because that will draw attention from the other girls and they may eat the evidence.

Alternatively, you can go out to the coop well after dark and identify where the 6 pullets are roosting. Then try to get out before dawn to see where the soft shelled egg is then you can hone in on the bird doing it and start dosing her with calcium citrate.

 

[MDieckmeyer]

I'd be concerned enough to be offering her 550-650mg of calcium citrate with D for a week.

Yes. It is difficult to push out a shell-less or soft shelled egg. Without the hard shell to push against the membrane just gives so they strain much harder to expel it from their bodies.

Get an old tube of lipstick and smear it around the vent of the pullet you suspect is laying the soft shelled eggs. You would then be able to see some amount of color on the membrane left under the roost. I would pick a color other than red because that will draw attention from the other girls and they may eat the evidence.

Alternatively, you can go out to the coop well after dark and identify where the 6 pullets are roosting. Then try to get out before dawn to see where the soft shelled egg is then you can hone in on the bird doing it and start dosing her with calcium citrate.

Thanks so much for your help! I’ll try that.