Soft Shell Eggs today

[Janet Brad]

Hi all, I wondered if anyone might throw light on why my free range orpington flock who have been laying eggs with good shells would suddenly drop soft eggs from their perch. I discovered 4 from my flock of 10 hens today, when i opened the coup up at dawn. So far I've collected 4 hard shell eggs so not all are laying soft ones.

Its been a week of hot days but cool enough nights.

I've been zealous about scraping the coup clean to keep mites at bay. I sprayed the plywood coup floor with ammonia and a miticide yesterday morning, and last week, to deal to mites. (I hate the idea of mites troubling my feathered friends so we are slowly switching all our wood based chook housing and nesting boxes to metal) One of the soft egg had mites on it so they are still active but it is summer here, so to be expected. And I read somewhere that cguckens are sensitive to ammonia alhough it had dried off and I can't smell it. Perhaps with the door shut at night it is more apparent???

Foodwise: They get layer pellets, meatbird crumble and pullet pellets (we have 2 month old pullets in the flock and a few molting and broody hen so some meals are tailored to their needs).Perhaps the laying hens need more calcium. Will add oyster shells and more crunched up egg shells.
Do molting hens lay soft shell eggs when they start back laying?
Comments or advice welcomed!

 

[Debbie292d]

I would definitely put out a dish/feeder of oyster shell. The hens that need it will eat it, and those that don't, won't.

As for molting hens, I've noticed one hen laid a couple of fairy eggs after she stopped molting. She's a mini-silkie, so has smaller eggs anyway, but these were half her normal ones. It was only a couple so I never paid much attention to it, figuring she was restarting her laying so the first few would be weird.

Other hens, I've never noticed anything different when they started laying again.

 

[Janet Brad]

Thank you Debbie. I have given them all access to oyster shell. I was surprised at how keenly they gobbled it down. Let's see the eggs are like in the next few days.

 

[Mrs. K]

It is fairly common for when they start to lay again, for their to be glitches in the system. Soft shells tend to heal themselves if you do something or nothing.

Did you, do you have a bad mite problem?

Mrs K

 

[Janet Brad]

It is fairly common for when they start to lay again, for their to be glitches in the system. Soft shells tend to heal themselves if you do something or nothing.

Did you, do you have a bad mite problem?

Mrs K

Thank you Mrs K. There were no soft eggs today so something troubled them. I dont think the mite problem was excessive but they may be collecting where the roosts are attached to the frame of the coop. I've loaded those areas with DE.
Using water and detergent to clean them can exacerbate the problem. Very frustrating. Thanks for your input

 

[Janet Brad]

My conclusion is...The soft eggs were likely due to mites. My longsuffering husband helped me unscrew the painted roosts, and the supports holding up the roosts. The mite colonies were massing despite yhe joins being caked with Diatomaceous Earth. Poured rather than sprayed Janola (household amonia) neat onto the clusters which smote them without hurting my lungs. Mopped up the mites and residue. Mounted the roosts so they are removable on metal pillars. Sealed with gap sealant around the timber blocks so none can get behind.
No more soft eggs since.

Summary of learning: mites dont like crawling up metal - metal pillars good.
Household ammonia kills mites. (Wear gloves) - apply neat
Diatomaceous Earth as a fix is a rural myth.
Wood, as a coup building material, needs painting and sealing, after dealing to all mites. Older ply is full of cracks.
Regular DRY cleaning. Using water can cause a mite explision.
Metal could be a better option if you ard in a temperate climate.

 

[aart]

Household ammonia kills mites.

Is can also kill chickens, and create a toxic gas when mixed with chicken poop.

Diatomaceous Earth as a fix is a rural myth.

It's myth alright.
Get permethrin, spray for the cracks and crevices in coop and dust for the birds themselves.

 

[Janet Brad]

Is can also kill chickens, and create a toxic gas when mixed with chicken poop.

It's myth alright.
Get permethrin, spray for the cracks and crevices in coop and dust for the birds themselves.

Thanks for that Aart. I'll be mindful of the fumes. Sorry to be clear..Im using bleach (Janola) - sodium hypochlorate. The chlorine evaporates when dry. Chicken poop is scaped daily. I'll try the permethrine spray though. Mites are such a scourge. So do you use permethrine powder in their dust baths?

 

[aart]

So do you use permethrine powder in their dust baths?

No, apply it directly to their skin, get it under the feathers.

 

[Janet Brad]

Three days after the mite purge that flock had no normal eggs but one soft one. On inspecting the undersides of the painted roosts (but rough in places) there were colonies of mites developing...under where each hen perched the night before. Dealt to them. Today, no sign of mites and a good egg from each hen. So may I deduce that soft eggs can be stress related?