Why did my chicken lay a soft, rubbery egg? Is she sick?

[8xnoy]

Any suggestions why my chicken laid a rubbery egg this morning? She also is very subdued. Should I isolate her and/or do anything else to check her out?

 

[CMV]

It's called a soft shelled egg. Lots of folks have said it happens randomly from time to time, but the prior posters are also correct. If you aren't giving your chickens calcium supplements (eg. crushed oyster shells) you probably should be. Stress will also cause hens to lay soft shelled eggs.

I had a hen survive a hawk attack, which I thought was fatal as all I found were a pile of feathers and a chunk of chicken. My first indication that she had survived the attack was a soft shelled egg on the ground outside the coop the next morning. She has never laid one before or since. I was perplexed at first, but then realized quickly what had happened. I looked up everything I could about these soft shelled eggs. They can be problematic, but usually are just a fluke.

 

[kingmt]

Feed her shells back to her. I grind them in a blender & put them in a feeder. They seem to prefer them over the oyster shell & I don''t have to buy them. I dry them a few days, grind them, & microwave them to kill off bad bactira.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
OMG- That never even occurred to me! (Yeah, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed at times.) I always use the oyster shells, and feed the eggshells to my pigs or compost them. The eggshells don't interest the pigs much and don't break down well in the compost, so I know what I'll be doing with them from now on. Thanks!

 

[DOnSoCalOC]

My girls are about 1 yr old and I have had two thin shelled eggs within the past 3 weeks. No biggee, but I don't want to make it a habit. I feed them organic soy-free feed, oyster shells on the side, they get "treats" (fruits and veggies, freeze-dried meal worms, crickets) occasionally, but I am going to cut out treats for a month to see what happens. Let them find their own bugs, I am almost out of "egg shell powder" that I had ground up, so I am going to incorporate that again, since I had stopped when I started the oyster shell. So here is some info I found on-line:

Most people immediately think that Oyster shell grit is what a hen needs if she is laying soft shelled eggs but a dietary deficiency can also be the cause of a ‘soft' shelled egg. Whilst chickens need grit to grind their food down in their gizzard and calcium to form their egg shells, they also need a correct level of protein in their diet as well as minerals and various other vitamins. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) is used for the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus to be able to form egg shells as well as strong bones. Vitamin D is found in Cod Liver Oil but they shouldn't normally need this if they are fed the correct formulated layers feed and have free range and sunshine on their backs.
Corn treats and kitchen scraps

Wheat found in mixed corn typically contains about 10% protein. This isn't a sufficient amount for a hen that is producing eggs. Keep corn as a treat only. Kitchen scraps are a bit of a mixed bag of what a hen needs so whilst this is an efficient way to recycle them and save on feed costs, scraps should not really exceed 25% of a hen's diet. Scraps should be mixed with layers mash to make a crumbly mixture. The best way to ensure a hen is getting the correct diet is to use a balanced layers feed and then supplement this with greens and a vitamin and mineral drink that can be added to their water during the peak months of production.
Free Range Hens

If hens can be allowed to free range on grass or rough ground then this is much better than having to add top up vitamin and mineral drinks. They will be able to pick up a lot of the extra grit, vitamins and minerals they need from and be a lot less prone to health problems.

Some strains of birds can lay more soft egg shells as they age. This is particularly true of hybrid breeds that have been optimised to give as many eggs as possible during their first year such as the Bovan Goldline often found in ‘battery' farming. Once these birds reach 4 or 5 years old, you may find they start to lay eggs with soft shells.

Causes for thin egg shells
Calcium is the primary mineral that makes up eggshells and when not supplied in the diet, the hen does not have the basic materials needed to make the shell. The problem is produced when whole grains or feeds deficient in minerals and vitamins make up the bulk of the laying hen diet. Thin egg shells are observed when calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 are not provided in diets at adequate levels. It is more often observed during periods of hot weather because calcium is conserved and retained within the hen's body less efficiently.
The quality of the shells is improved by feeding a complete laying ration as the only diet. This diet supplies all nutrients in the proper proportions so the hen can produce good shells. If thin egg shells becomes a problem, it is advisable to add 2 pounds of oyster shells (as an oyster shell flour or hen-sized oyster shells) to every 100 pounds of complete layer ration.
This will provide a quick remedy to the problem and should restore egg shell quality within a short period of time. After the egg shell quality is restored, the addition of oyster shell can be eliminated and the complete layer diet can then maintain good egg shell formation. It is also advisable to also add a vitamin supplement to the drinking water while the oyster shell is being added to the feed. This will help ensure that calcium and phosphorus in the diet is being properly absorbed through the digestive system and will be available for deposition as shell on the egg.

Feeding Schedules for Chickens
Poultry feeds are referred to as "complete" feeds, because they are designed to contain all the protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for proper growth, egg production, and health of the birds. Feeding any other ingredients, mixed with the feed or fed separately, upsets the balance of nutrients in the "complete" feed. Feeding additional grain or supplement with the complete poultry feed is not recommended.
Feed chicks a "starter" diet soon after they hatch. Continue feeding the starter feed until they reach 6 or 8 weeks of age. The starter diet has the highest level of protein a chicken receives during its lifetime. As the chick matures, it requires a lower percentage of dietary protein and a higher level of energy.
After the chicks reach 6 or 8 weeks of age, feed them a "finisher" diet (to broilers) or a "developer" diet (to pullets or cockerels saved for breeding purposes). Feed broilers a finisher diet until they reach slaughter size. Feed the pullets and cockerels a developer until they are at least 20 weeks of age. When egg production starts, feed them a "layer" ration until egg production ends.
The minimum requirements for protein, calcium, and phosphorus in poultry feeds are shown. Remember, chickens saved for egg production are fed pullet-type diets, not broiler diets, regardless of being from broiler or egg-type stock.

Minimum
requirements

Protein
%​

Calcium
%​

Phosphorus
%
​

Pullets
Starter (0-8 weeks)

20​

0.9​

0.5​

Developer (8 to 20 weeks)

14​

0.8​

0.5​

Laying Hens
Layer

16​

3.0​

0.5​

 

[smack2013]

I would not feed my chickens their own egg shells. They can begin to eat their eggs before you get a chance to gather them. I had someone chicken sit for me once and they thought it would be a good idea to feed the shells to my hens. Ever after they would peck them open and eat them. I had to get rid of the offending hens. Stick with the oyster shells or course sand.

 

[willowcol]

She might need more calcium.

 

[JakRat]

That happend to my mom's hen one time. She found out that it has something to do with stress, like if you moved her to a new spot, or weather, or food change.

 

[8xnoy]

Thanks so much. With that, I think I'm about to move her back with the others this morning and find some calcium. She shows no signs of anything else except maybe the listlessness. She does not cough or wheeze and looks (to me) as though she misses the rest of the flock, sitting alone in her little cage. As long as I can rule out something that will spread and kill my whole flock, I feel better!

 

[MissAbbyStreet]

I never realized how much my chickens loved their own egg shells until they tried a peck or two of the ones I had crushed up into the garden plot soil. Now, every time I open the door to their pen they run like crazy across the yard to the garden and fill up on em! I've just started grinding them up in their food and I can already tell a difference in shell thickness, too! They are, in my own opinion, the best source of calcium a chicken can get (above oyster shell)-- after all, they make it themselves.