1 year old EE laying thin eggs

[Courtkneekp]

I have 10 hens and a rooster ranging from 9 months to 1 year old. They are fed flock raiser, have plenty of water, get daily oyster shell and a treat mix that consists of scratch feed and mealworms.

One of our EE girls(1 year old) has started laying thin shelled eggs pretty consistently. Sometimes it’ll be in the nest whole, sometimes cracked in the nest, and sometimes it’s in the coop floor under the roosts.

I cannot figure out how to fix this other than wait to see if it resolves itself later in the laying season. Any suggestions or thoughts? I will greatly appreciate any help I can get.

*picture of the hen in question added for attention lol

 

[sloanbychoice]

It's fairly common in newer layers.
If they're getting plenty of calcium, then age and stress are the next things to look at.
Likely, she'll lay better eggs as she matures a bit more. Make sure stress levels are low.

 

[neo71665]

Cut out the treats until her shells firm up.

 

[aart]

get daily oyster shell

This should always be available in a separate feeder...and watch to make sure they are eating it.

You might give the thin shelled girl a special breakfast like @rosemarythyme does.

 

[Kaddi143]

I have 10 hens and a rooster ranging from 9 months to 1 year old. They are fed flock raiser, have plenty of water, get daily oyster shell and a treat mix that consists of scratch feed and mealworms.

One of our EE girls(1 year old) has started laying thin shelled eggs pretty consistently. Sometimes it’ll be in the nest whole, sometimes cracked in the nest, and sometimes it’s in the coop floor under the roosts.

I cannot figure out how to fix this other than wait to see if it resolves itself later in the laying season. Any suggestions or thoughts? I will greatly appreciate any help I can get.

*picture of the hen in question added for attention lol

Oyster shell calcium for help with soft shell eggs. Also during change of seasons and during molting this can occur. Also other illnesses or dysfunctions can cause this but new young healthy layers can have a few. Also stress from other hens being broody can also contribute in my experience.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This should always be available in a separate feeder...and watch to make sure they are eating it.

You might give the thin shelled girl a special breakfast like @rosemarythyme does.

Since 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.