1st egg ever - soft and eaten? Cry*

[vibackyardchicks]

My guess is it's stress from moving and the birds being very young and likely new to laying that's causing her to lay soft eggs.

Oyster shell should not be mixed in with food. If you're trying to supplement the feed directly, stick with layer feed. Any additional calcium for the flock (egg shells, oyster shells) should be separate.

If you know which bird is the issue, use the calcium citrate or separate her for a private snack of wet feed mixed with ground oyster shell to address her issues

 

[vibackyardchicks]

She laid a beautiful egg the next day and today. Must have been the stress from the move.

 

[xactdude]

We picked up two POL hens yesterday, and today there was what looks like a soft shelled egg in the coop.

I don’t know if they ate it or if it cracked and smeared when I opened their door.

It looks like some peck marks on some spots… I’m just so sad to think that we are JUST starting on our egg journey and we have a problem.

Just looking for support and hope.

when I was just a chick I remember grandma telling me that me chasing and pestering the chickens caused eggs with no shell. Maybe they were still upset over the move or there are other animals around they are not accustomed to? I'll need to watch youtube to refresh my chicken psychiatry license, I guess.

 

[PaigeWells]

I had 3 hens each lay their first as a soft, 2 of those were on the poop board so either came out at night or just walking around in the morning, the 3rd was in the very hard to get to, preferred corner, not supposed to be a nesting spot (5 of my 6 layers ignore the 6 nest boxes with fake realistic eggs in order to be perverse and annoying-go figure). 2 of my 3 softies were torn or pecked open, I was like “oh great, a bad habit developed on day one. I’m doing so well…”. Fast forward 6 weeks and no signs of egg pecking or eating. I did quickly get some hard ceramic eggs just in case, don’t know if that helped but it couldn’t hurt. My 13 girls are between 16 weeks and 6 months now, 6 are laying and 2 more are really close, (squatting and combs just got red), I have a mixed flock but the soft came from a buff Orpington, a Welsummer, and one from my chicken Enigma, named because she ISN’T the barred rock she was supposed to be- she turns out to be an olive egger so someone jumped a fence somewhere. Also, my girls have laid a semi soft shell or an early egg (full shell but the wrong color because the final top coat of “paint” didn’t get applied) when it has been very hot (85) here in the mountains of western NC. They seem to like when I make them “salad popsickles” or put ice cubes in their water- annoying high maintenance spoiled babies…

 

[Pwolf44]

We picked up two POL hens yesterday, and today there was what looks like a soft shelled egg in the coop.

I don’t know if they ate it or if it cracked and smeared when I opened their door.

It looks like some peck marks on some spots… I’m just so sad to think that we are JUST starting on our egg journey and we have a problem.

Just looking for support and hope.

Need oyster shell fead to them

 

[vibackyardchicks]

when I was just a chick I remember grandma telling me that me chasing and pestering the chickens caused eggs with no shell. Maybe they were still upset over the move or there are other animals around they are not accustomed to? I'll need to watch youtube to refresh my chicken psychiatry license, I guess.

I think it was just the move. They have both been laying fine since after the first two eggs. Nice hard brown eggs

 

[vibackyardchicks]

I had 3 hens each lay their first as a soft, 2 of those were on the poop board so either came out at night or just walking around in the morning, the 3rd was in the very hard to get to, preferred corner, not supposed to be a nesting spot (5 of my 6 layers ignore the 6 nest boxes with fake realistic eggs in order to be perverse and annoying-go figure). 2 of my 3 softies were torn or pecked open, I was like “oh great, a bad habit developed on day one. I’m doing so well…”. Fast forward 6 weeks and no signs of egg pecking or eating. I did quickly get some hard ceramic eggs just in case, don’t know if that helped but it couldn’t hurt. My 13 girls are between 16 weeks and 6 months now, 6 are laying and 2 more are really close, (squatting and combs just got red), I have a mixed flock but the soft came from a buff Orpington, a Welsummer, and one from my chicken Enigma, named because she ISN’T the barred rock she was supposed to be- she turns out to be an olive egger so someone jumped a fence somewhere. Also, my girls have laid a semi soft shell or an early egg (full shell but the wrong color because the final top coat of “paint” didn’t get applied) when it has been very hot (85) here in the mountains of western NC. They seem to like when I make them “salad popsickles” or put ice cubes in their water- annoying high maintenance spoiled babies…

Yes I think it was the stress of the move and also our current heatwave. Both gals have been laying beautiful hard shelled brown eggs for about a week now.

I tend to overworry about things. Glad it didn’t turn into a bigger issue.