Soft shells

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Melanie9565

Melanie9565

Songster
Aug 21, 2016
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California
Hi! I'm new to the whole raising chickens community and I started with 4 various 1 week old chicks which are now 5 months old! Everything was going to fine and I thought "yeah. I got this!" until..... This I have an Orpington, a Bard Rock, an Amercauna and a Cochin. The buff has been laying for 2 weeks consistently and hard shells. The Bard Rock dropped 2 eggs in one day a couple of times so I added oyster shell to their food. 2 days ago and today there were 2 virtually shell-less eggs laid but I'm not sure who (not the the Orpington) laid them. Is there anything else I can do? Is this a young layer thing going on????? Someone suggested I post this question here. So sorry if some of you saw it already!
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That's perfectly normal for new layers. They lay the egg before the shell gets applied. Most commonly seen as hens are starting or stopping the laying season as well as when they are stressed or experiencing disturbances. Your hen should straighten out in a few days to a few weeks and become more regular.
 
Completely normal for new layers. Just means that all of the parts of the laying system aren't working in perfect sync, yet. It has nothing to do with a lack of calcium. All it means is that she needs a bit more time for everything to mature.
Shell-less eggs are also normal for hens that are about to start molting, about to go broody, or just starting to lay again after molting or going broody.
 
My hens are still young yet. 5 months. The Orpington lays consistently and lays good eggs. This morning I went out and there was a completely shell less egg on the ramp coming down from the coop. Hoping this will all resolve iysself and it's not a genetic issue!
 
Yes I too have a hen laying a rubber egg. What's weird is her first two or three were normal. So I bought oyster shell and put in a container near the feed about four or five days ago. 3 rubber eggs sense. One in the run, one laid from the roost and another under the coop yesterday. None found today.
So it seems it's not lack of calcium. Layers feed 3.5% calcium. And if you've read my posts, I limit scratch to 10 to 15 minutes twice a day. Just a pullet working things out I guess. Her 4 sisters no kinks in the machinery. GC
 
Well things seemed to have worked themselves out for now. We have 4 hens and 3 are laying now and the egg shells seem to be hard. Only one will not lay in the hen box. She goes to the corner of her coop, makes a nest and then sits. Jumps down and drops it in the run. Later she goes back to sit on her "nest with no egg." She just started laying and I think she dropped a couple of virtually shell less eggs like our other hen did. Hope your problem gets worked out too!!!!
 
Yes I got 5 eggs with shells yesterday, no rubber eggs. One was slab-sided. Cause is one egg crashing into another before being laid, must have been from little one. She was the last to start laying of the 5 comets. She has been laying a rubber egg for a few days. Wonder if her system is trying to catch up? Passing the eggs through quickly, before the shell can form. She's 21 weeks yesterday and has been laying for nine days.
I just heard the egg laying song :). Hopefully I get 5 normal eggs today. GC
 

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