Soft shell eggs

[skyefry]

Hello y’all! I’m a little stumped on what else I should try with my hen that keeps laying soft shell eggs about every other day. She DOES lay normal eggs but then turns around the next day and lays a soft shell egg. I don’t want her to end up egg bound or worse….

I feed them the Red bag of Naturewise 16% crumble layer feed and I also use the MannaPro Omega Egg Layer as a top feed daily. I also have oyster shells free fed in a container which I see them both eating regularly.

Any and all suggestions will help!! Thanks in advance!!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! I would dose her with calcium citrate for a few days, see if she shows improvement.

Could she be kept from feed? Do you have a spot with a hidden feeder and water?

 

[skyefry]

Hello! I would dose her with calcium citrate for a few days, see if she shows improvement.

Could she be kept from feed? Do you have a spot with a hidden feeder and water?
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I’ll try to get that stuff I’ve never heard of if before!!
And no, my coop is all open layout and the feeder and 2 waters are easily accessible. I see her drink and eat regularly.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Check her crop at night, see if it's full.

 

[skyefry]

Check her crop at night, see if it's full.

It is! I try and check all the girls each night and I keep a close eye on her and it’s always normal. That’s why I’ve been so stumpedI’m going to try that Calcium Citrate and see if that helps!!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

How old is she?

 

[skyefry]

I got her in March of this year, so 6/7 months old? She is an Easter Egger.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I got her in March of this year, so 6/7 months old? She is an Easter Egger.

AH so that's the answer. She's still a pullet. Soft shell eggs are common in pullets, as their bodies are still figuring out how to manage the whole process. First come the pullet (small) eggs, then a variety of fairy eggs, soft shell, or shell-less eggs, or huge double-yolkers. Sometime before the one-year mark, it settles down to more consistent, quality eggs.

 

[skyefry]

AH so that's the answer. She's still a pullet. Soft shell eggs are common in pullets, as their bodies are still figuring out how to manage the whole process. First come the pullet (small) eggs, then a variety of fairy eggs, soft shell, or shell-less eggs, or huge double-yolkers. Sometime before the one-year mark, it settles down to more consistent, quality eggs.

So you don’t think I should worry too much yet because she’s still young? It’s true the eggs I am getting from them are all still on the smaller size.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

So you don’t think I should worry too much yet because she’s still young? It’s true the eggs I am getting from them are all still on the smaller size.

Correct. As long as they're getting enough calcium from either their feed or supplemented oyster shell, etc.... I wouldn't worry at all. I kept pullets from three hatches this spring (Feb, March, April) and still regularly get soft-shell or shell-less eggs, among all the pullet eggs.