Broken eggs

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Kaydencedad

Kaydencedad

Chirping
Jul 30, 2015
28
1
54
California
Can someone tell me why one of my chickens keeps laying a broken egg, the shell is very thin and they either come out broken or she breaks it after she lays, they also have as much oyster shells as they want?
 
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The main reason a hen will lay broken eggs with thin shells is because she is lacking calcium in her diet. Give her either oyster shells or crushed, rinsed eggshells. Also, how old are they? Pullets new to laying will often lay "odd" eggs. Make sure they have plenty of water and layer feed.

Here's an article explaining further about calcium.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-key-to-happy-hens-and-healthy-eggs
 
Mountain Peeps said:
The main reason a hen will lay broken eggs with thin shells is because she is lacking calcium in her diet. Give her either oyster shells or crushed, rinsed eggshells. Also, how old are they? Pullets new to laying will often lay "odd" eggs. Make sure they have plenty of water and layer feed.

Here's an article explaining further about calcium.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-key-to-happy-hens-and-healthy-eggs
Click to expand...
There are some glaring inaccuracies in that 'article'.....here are 2 I found, couldn't read further:
Egg shells are not a substitution for oyster shells, but can be a supplement to the oyster shells, the egg shells move thru the body too quickly to be absorbed.
Feeding egg shells unwashed or uncrushed will not create an egg eater.

Kaydencedad said:
I give them oyster shells it is all over the ground, I think she might be 4 years old!
Click to expand...
Best to have the oyster shells in a container always available.
....but.....
Your hen is kind of old at 4 years and she may be at the end of her best laying years.
What is her breed?
Has this just started to happen? If so, she may be going into / getting ready to molt, you can get some funky eggs as they go into molt and as they come out of it.
 
aart said:
There are some glaring inaccuracies in that 'article'.....here are 2 I found, couldn't read further:
Egg shells are not a substitution for oyster shells, but can be a supplement to the oyster shells, the egg shells move thru the body too quickly to be absorbed.
Feeding egg shells unwashed or uncrushed will not create an egg eater.

Best to have the oyster shells in a container always available.
....but.....
Your hen is kind of old at 4 years and she may be at the end of her best laying years.
What is her breed?
Has this just started to happen? If so, she may be going into / getting ready to molt, you can get some funky eggs as they go into molt and as they come out of it.
Click to expand...

Sorry you found it that way. That's what I've learned, read and experienced so that is what I wrote.
 
Thanks everybody, yes she just started doing it after I moved the five of them, she is the only one that ever started laying again, she is a RIR
 

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