Thin shells - help

[Coopmom56]

I have an Easter egger that lays very thin-shelled eggs, and has since I got her from another chicken keeper in my town. The other hens I got from her lay regular hard-shelled eggs. I have always fed my chickens Purina Flock Raiser with free-choice oyster shell, without problems. After this hen’s eggs did not improve I switched to Layer feed, first without free choice oyster shell, and now have added it back. Still no results. The other hens crack her eggs when they lay in the same box. Any other remedies before I have to cull her?

 

[neo71665]

How old is the bird?

 

[Coopmom56]

How old is the bird?

She’s in her second laying season.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Try isolating 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 a minute to eat and after that she's free to go.

If it works 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 her problem is not calcium, but rather some glitch in her system, likely the shell gland.

 

[Perris]

you could also try popping a calcium tablet with vit D (sold in supermarkets as well as pharmacies here) in her mouth, one a day for a couple of days, and see if that helps.