Easter Egger hen laying soft eggs

[ColorCountry]

I have a two year old Easter Egger hen that has been laying soft eggs for the past two weeks. She weighs about 7 pounds and is allowed to free range in my
backyard daily with my other two Easter Eggers. I have separate containers of grit and crushed oyster shell placed in the coop. I also give them Grubblies oven
dried black soldier fly grubs for the added calcium twice a day as a snack.

I've also noticed that she has runny poop, and I am giving everyone medicated Purina Start and Grow feed in case she has Coccidiosis from all the digging
she does in the dirt in my back yard. One of my other hens had the runny poop last year, and the medicated feed I just mentioned cleared that up.

So, I'm at a loss as to why she is the only hen laying the soft eggs. They also are given Flock Raiser feed on a regular basis. I plan on keeping them all locked
up until I figure this out.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

What do you mean by soft? Like to easy to crack or mushy?

 

[ColorCountry]

Well, by soft I mean no shell, just the opaque membrane that is rubbery to the
touch.

 

[Yardmom]

It sounds like you have the calcium covered. Sometimes they get a glitch and this happens. There may be connection with the runny poo. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about health issues will chime in.

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

@Kiki @casportpony

 

[Kiki]

Purina start and grow will not cure coccidiosis.

What had you been feeding your flock daily before you started feeding them this feed?

 

[Kiki]

When was the last time you brought a new to you bird home?
Have you ever dewormed your flock?

 

[ColorCountry]

I feed my girls Purina Flock Raiser on a regular basis. I have not introduced any
new birds to my flock. You are correct...Purina medicated start and grow helps
prevent Coccidiosis, not cure it. I have not dewormed my flock yet.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are you certain she's eating oyster shell? Not all birds will eat it, or eat enough to meet their needs.

A couple options:

1) If you have all laying hens (no chicks, roosters, etc) you can try switching to layer feed and see if that helps.

2) Try mixing some crushed egg shells in with the oyster shell. Some birds may be more willing to eat eggshell instead of oyster.

3) If you know exactly which bird is the problem bird, isolate her for a private breakfast. 2-3x a week serve a small bowl (like 1 Tbsp is fine) of wet or fermented feed with oyster shell mixed in. If she does not like chunks of oyster shell, crush it up or use the powdery remnants from bottom of the bag. Should only take her minutes to eat and after that she's free to go.

Assuming her issue is simply insufficient calcium intake, you should see results in a week or two, and you can try reducing it to 1-2x a week and should hopefully continue getting good results. If you still have the same issue, then you might need to try pills of calcium citrate instead for a faster, bigger calcium boost.

 

[ColorCountry]

Up date: my Easter Egger that was laying the soft eggs with no shell has gotten
back to laying regular eggs. I changed their feed to a layer crumble with additional
calcium. All the girls have oyster shell on the side. She actually stopped laying eggs
for a couple of weeks after the food change. Her eggs now have a nice hard shell
and a pretty blue color.

I want to thank everyone who offered their advice. Much appreciated!