Soft Shelled Eggs

carrierose

Songster
10 Years
Feb 22, 2014
60
43
122
Keno, OR
Three of my 30 hens have been laying soft shelled eggs for a several months now. One is a golden Sexlink (2 years old) another is an Ameraucana (1 year old) and I don't know who the third one is. The Sexlink started laying the soft shelled eggs after molting last fall and the other two started a couple months ago. They have free feed oyster shell calcium. I use Payback feed which is 17% protein and a couple times per month I soak some alfalfa pellets in water as a treat for them. Any suggestions as to what I can do to stop this? I'm getting tired of cleaning nesting boxes on a daily basis & the other chickens usually get the eggs before I do. I definitely don't want them to get in the habit of eating eggs though I'm afraid this is already happening.
 
Three of my 30 hens have been laying soft shelled eggs for a several months now.  One is a golden Sexlink (2 years old) another is an Ameraucana (1 year old) and I don't know who the third one is.  The Sexlink started laying the soft shelled eggs after molting last fall and the other two started a couple months ago. They have free feed oyster shell calcium. I use Payback feed which is 17% protein and a couple times per month I soak some alfalfa pellets in water as a treat for them. Any suggestions as to what I can do to stop this?  I'm getting tired of cleaning nesting boxes on a daily basis & the other chickens usually get the eggs before I do.  I definitely don't want them to get in the habit of eating eggs though I'm afraid this is already happening.

They could have some deficiency of some nutrient like calcium and D vitamins. are they in the bottom of the packing order of your flock? If they are there is a possibility that they don't get enough nutrition! Another thing is not only the supply of calcium is also the timing! They relay need calcium at night while the egg shel is forming. Do you give them an an limited approach to feed in the evening and night?
Try to give them feed alone from the other and see if there is any improvement.
It also could be a problem in there reproductive system and that is another story!
 
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They could have some deficiency of some nutrient like calcium and D vitamins. are they in the bottom of the packing order of your flock? If they are there is a possibility that they don't get enough nutrition! Another thing is not only the supply of calcium is also the timing! They relay need calcium at night while the egg shel is forming. Do you give them an an limited approach to feed in the evening and night?
Try to give them feed alone from the other and see if there is any improvement.
It also could be a problem in there reproductive system and that is another story!

I have a hen that's doing the same thing, she is about 9 months old and has always laid either a soft shelled egg (usually dropped under the roost) or if she does happen to drop a harder shelled egg its unusable as its covered with a baking soda like substance that wont wash off and when I crack the egg the stuff falls into the bowl.. I also feed Payback flock raiser, 19% protein, oyster shells free choice and crushed egg shells once a week. I have also about the same number of layers, between 30-40. I was told to try adding some of the clean oyster shells to the water to see if that helps but once again, bad egg... I am convinced it is something with her as I don't get any soft shells from any other hen.. Sad because she is one of my project birds, a Jersey Giant/Buff Orp mix.. She weighs in at about 8-10 pounds

 
I just learned that Apple cider vinegar could affect calcium absorption in chickens, and it coincides with when my buff started laying soft shelled eggs. I put a stop to it but I'm not sure if it will make a difference yet.
 
All my chickens have free feed oyster shell calcium 24/7 and not only do I feed the Payback feed, they have a acre of pasture to roam in on a daily basis and I do not use any kind of vinegar. The Sexlink is at the top of the pecking order. The Ameraucana is on the lower end of the pecking order as she is only a year old and one of my smaller hens weighing in at 4-5 pounds. Still don't know who the third hen is though not for the lack of trying to figure it out. Maybe I will try a vitamin supplement on them to see if it will help. Thanks to all who have offered suggestions.
 
De-worming seemed to help my EE stop breaking her eggs. I'm still thinking of getting a vitamin supplement too, because I'm worried it's more than just the vinegar that has my buff's eggs going soft.
 
De-worming seemed to help my EE stop breaking her eggs. I'm still thinking of getting a vitamin supplement too, because I'm worried it's more than just the vinegar that has my buff's eggs going soft.

That's great! My hen got it straitened out too, adding the oyster shells to the water did the trick, it took several days but finally we got a normal egg from her
 
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