A couple of newbie egg questions

Of my nine hens I am getting 5 eggs a day now. They have are around 24 weeks or so. I bought them a month ago. Today I let them out to free range for an hour or so while I was out working in the yard. I saw one in the weeds acting funny so I went over and sure enough she laid an egg. I waited about 5 minutes and went to pick it up and it was pretty soft. Not like jello but definitely not as hard as normal. I am assuming a "normal" egg is pretty hard after it has been laid? I went ahead and pitched that one over the fence and when I turned around there was another very soft egg in the yard 10 feet from where the first one. I didn't see who laid that one but a couple of the other hens came over and started pecking at that one. They were eating it before I could pick it up. I went a picked up the shell from that one and it was like rubber and fell apart. I know when pullets first start laying their eggs are not always perfect. I have not had one single soft egg (that I have seen evidence of) in the coop. I guess it is possible if this has been going on they are eating it before I found them??? I have been planning to build a feeder for them to keep oyster shells in but have not gotten around to it. I have been putting a couple of handfuls of oyster shells in the coop on the feeder that I have grit in every few days or so as needed. I know typically you don't get two normal eggs in a day but the odds of two different birds laying to very soft eggs a few feet from each other at the same time seem pretty slim also. Not sure what to make of it. Both eggs appeared to have a normal yolk inside and were normal size just very soft.

Short of some type of video system is there anything I should look for as far as evidence that one or more of them is laying soft eggs which are then being eaten?

With new layers, I wouldn't be concerned about soft eggs. Even if a few of the girls are laying them. It can take a bit for them to work out the kinks in the eggs production department. Them eating them isn't a super huge deal either. I'd have just let them have them and moved on with my day. If it persists, it may be cause for concern.

Thanks. I new that egg eating could turn into a bad habit. I just didn't know if it was one of those things that once they got their first taste I would start having problems or if it is not likely to be an issue at this stage in the game.

New layers and softshells are pretty normal for the first month or so.

Eating a soft shell or broken egg is fair game, IMO, and will not necessarily lead to egg eating.
A softshell egg is often laid outside the nest,
I think it 'feels' different and can take them by surprise or kind of freak them out,
have seen some strange behavior prior to finding softies.

Since they are not developing a hard shell is it possible for them to lay more then one soft shelled egg in a day? (I know anything is possible). I was just wandering the likely hood of 2 different hens laying soft eggs 10 feet from each other a couple minutes before dark? Or is it almost guaranteed that it was another hen?

flyin-lowe said:

Since they are not developing a hard shell is it possible for them to lay more then one soft shelled egg in a day? (I know anything is possible). I was just wandering the likely hood of 2 different hens laying soft eggs 10 feet from each other a couple minutes before dark? Or is it almost guaranteed that it was another hen?

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Yes, I've had new layers drop more than one egg in a day...sometimes right away, sometimes the 2nd comes later in the day.
Sometimes one is soft and one is shelled, sometimes both were soft.
It's really hard to know if those 2 softies came from the same bird or 2 different birds, unless you are there watching all the time.

Do you give them calcium - oyster shell ? That is a must for a hard nice shell.

Yes Ive been giving them oyster shells as they will take it. I have a normal gravity feeder with grit in it. Every couple days I dump a handful of oyster shells in there.

Keep the oyster shell in a separate container at all time in the coop. They will eat it when they need too. Mine are eating it every day. And a good layer feed.

flyin-lowe said:

Yes Ive been giving them oyster shells as they will take it. I have a normal gravity feeder with grit in it. Every couple days I dump a handful of oyster shells in there.

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What kind of feed are you providing?

Ardj said:

Keep the oyster shell in a separate container at all time in the coop. They will eat it when they need too. Mine are eating it every day. And a good layer feed.

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Agrees^^^