Soft egg laying under roost

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Do you leave grit AND oyster shell in with them? I had a couple of soft ones when our hens were starting out, but it normally(with given the proper things)fixes itself. Sorry, but I don't agree with egg shell. It's not that pricey to get the oyster shell & grit.

Hi TERRY4..were you talking to me? Yes, their whole run is dirt, sand, and grit. I also have a mixture of "grit" that I paid for which is virtually sand & oyster shell. I have a 50# bag of oyster shell, and I also have two 25# bags of gritty sand I bought from home depot. The bottom of their coop is gritty sand. I was just adding the eggshell to cover all my bases.
 
Yes I was talking to you. Sorry should have made it clear. I know many use eggshells, BUT I can't count how many times people said their chickens started eating their own eggs. Nearly impossible habit to break. I'd stop giving them,seeing as you only have the one with soft ones. It should change.
 
TERRY4 that is a good point. I don't really need to add the eggshell. I am already feeding them kale. It's 10% calcium. She didn't lay today so I'll see what happens tomorrow. Some people have said that the problems could be low potassium which they need to process the calcium. The kale is 9% potassium AND a little banana added on top of that. She is a big girl....the largest of my flock. This is a picture of her tonight after she had her bum washed. LOL...she loved it!
 
I just found a rubber egg under my roost as well. Several days ago I found a really tiny egg (about 3/4 inch wide), laying next to a really big egg in the same nesting box. My chickens are just getting over foul pox, I'm wondering if there might be an association?
 
I had my first rubber egg experience last night. My ladies went to roost around 7:00 and when I went to lock them up for the night I did my usual beak count and my Black Star was missing! I began searching all their usual hang outs and no Star. There was only one more possible place she could be and with shock and dismay I discovered her behind my shed, pecking at a rubber egg! She only began laying last Thursday and has produced 7 perfect eggs in that time. Thank goodness for this forum, I'm no longer panicked.

I have read in numerous forums that egg shells should never be fed to chickens. I have a bowl of oyster shell they can eat anytime they would like. I haven't been offering them grit as they free range all day and their poop looks good. Anything else I should consider?
 
I feed my girls egg shells, but only their own, never from store bought eggs. I've gotten the shell-less and soft shell eggs when they first started laying. I was told that it often happens to new layers, but can also happen if they're stressed or too hot. I've had a couple that happen after one of my girls was taken by a coyote, then when it was really hot I'd get a shell-less egg for their first egg or 2 before getting a real egg. Basically something interrupts the shell making process and the egg is ejected early. If it continues I'd worry about it, but if you open the egg and everything looks ok, I'd just keep an eye on her to make sure she lays a normal egg. Attaching pics of my shell-less eggs... these were after the attack & everyone lays normal eggs now. I've had a few others since these, but they were all from new layers who went on to lay normal eggs within a few days.
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