Egg with almost no shell

[arlenecruises]

I have 14 chickens with almost no laying, I get 1 egg a day if I a lucky. They are on egg layer food and have plenty of calcium. Getting expensive to feed them without eggs to show for it. I started giving more kitchen scraps and bread but will switch to more layer feed when days get longer, Meanwhie my i egg today had paper thin shell. I could squeeze the shell and it gets all wrinkly. I had one chicken all last summer with thin shells.
I installed a light to give longer daylight. Also turn on heat lamp on near zero degree nights. There are lots of feathers and some of them look pretty shabby right now

My chicken have never been very friendly. All bought as pullets or older.

Is there anything can do next to try for more eggs.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Welcome to BYC!!!

 

[Welshies]

They are molting.
Stop with the layer feed asap. Feeding lay feed to non-laying bird is harmful and slows down their development tremendously.
I suggest switching to 18% maintenance feed or 20% all-flock feed. Feed a side of free choice oystershell (a bag of oystershell is $20 but lasts me 3 years). If you have a rooster stick with this diet. That paper thin shell is from lack of calcium, so switch to maintenance feed and oyster shell.
To aid in the growth of new feathers you can feed cat kibbles if you want, optional, on the side.
Stop with the treats. Feeding more scraps is not the answer, in fact it will take your birds even longer to molt (and most stop laying when molting). Get rid of the light and the heat lamp. It's not helping anyone. Using supplemental light during winter has been proven to be linked to bone cancer in hens and early deaths. They need a break each year. They don't need a heat lamp, it is -4°F here and mine are fine without a heat lamp. Mine are fine in up to -30°C weather without a heat lamp.
Treats and scraps should only make up around 10% of all feed. Treats have very little nutritional value besides veggies but not near as much as actual feed. Bread is also not very good for most birds... tough to digest.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x Welshies - STOP the treats, feed higher protein feed (All Flock, Flock Raiser, Feather Fixer, 18 - 20% protein) with Oyster Shells in a separate dish. When molting they need the extra protein for feather growth. I stopped feeding Layer couple years ago, feed Flock Raiser (fermented) with Oyster Shells & Grit both in separate dishes. The egg shells are STRONG, stronger than the ones from the market.

I used to feed treats; veggies, fruit, kitchen scrapes but stopped when I learned why their weight wasn't what it should be. All those treats voids the nutrition from the feed, treats are our answer to "guilt", all they need is good quality feed and it's sure isn't Scratch. I stopped the treats & my girls gained weight & looking alot better.

 

[Welshies]

Yep. x2 on ChickNanny's response. As humans we may feel table scraps replace those summer days of forage, but it's just not the truth. Most of our garden vegetables have high water content. Chickens forage for seeds, bugs, and young shoots. These have more nutrition and protein than a whole bushel of cabbage, I'd say!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Hello and welcome to BYC!! It’s so nice to have you join us.
Wishing you the very best for 2018!!

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[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

I would finish the layers feed that you have - we are not talking a matter of life or death. Switching to higher protein feed and cutting out treats will be beneficial.

Here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - Find Your State Thread

All the best

Pork Pie

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[blackdust951]

happy new year!
G'dayand welcome to backyard chickens!we're so happy you've decided to join us i hope you enjoy your time here.