2 YEAR OLD BIRDS AND SOFT SHELL EGGS

[3 NH reds]

OK this is more a gripe then anything. I have 2 year old layers that are slowing down on egg laying and some of the eggs have a soft shell. I feed them layer feed and include oyster shell on the side. I get some eggs that look to be membrane only or really thin shell. I do not feed them chicken egg shell because egg eating pops up now and then. The only change they have had was I got rid of a rooster who was a psycho, always raising the alarm over nothing and causing great stress. My girls were egg eating but that stopped once he went to the pot. The other thing was mites, I added DE to their bedding and that was that, no more mites. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[five is my dog]

i have had one soft shelled egg between 12 hens in 2 years. my girls and roo free range. try that. you could also get a better laying feed.

 

[3 NH reds]

Free range out here is a big no no. We have all kinds of wild life that would eat them. I had one rooster that I put in a 20-30 garden area with a 5' fence and he lasted almost 2 weeks and he was gone. I did manage to save the three hens he sat with. strange but while the hens were free range there were no eggs and they stayed in the 20-30 fence. He flew over the 5' fence and I am sure that's how he met his end.

 

[five is my dog]

i live out in the middle of woods and i have had chickens killed as well i could understand not wanting to free range.

 

[Papalote Roos]

OK this is more a gripe then anything. I have 2 year old layers that are slowing down on egg laying and some of the eggs have a soft shell. I feed them layer feed and include oyster shell on the side. I get some eggs that look to be membrane only or really thin shell. I do not feed them chicken egg shell because egg eating pops up now and then. The only change they have had was I got rid of a rooster who was a psycho, always raising the alarm over nothing and causing great stress. My girls were egg eating but that stopped once he went to the pot. The other thing was mites, I added DE to their bedding and that was that, no more mites.  Anyone else have this problem?

stress is the reason for soft no shell eggs to a chicken that age. We added a new hen to our existing flock and her first egg was shell-less. Her next eggs were fine. An adjustment period without the rooster might be all they need. Or a new rooster.

 

[five is my dog]

lack of calcium causes soft shell or no shell eggs