3 soft shelled eggs??

Flame80

Songster
Jul 1, 2020
152
219
116
Deep East Texas Sabine County
My 6 white leghorns have been laying for several months now but my 3 domoniqus are just now getting old enough to lay. My 3 nests are at one end of the coop and my leghorns always use the nests. But...yesterday while cleaning out shavings I found 3 soft shell eggs on the opposite far end of the coop which also happens to be where the 3 domoniques roost AWAY from the leghorns. 2 softys were tiny eggs and the other looked like a large. All 3 were in the same spot. Could these be early first eggs from the doms? Could the leghorns not want to let them nest in THEIR boxes? Is this activity common? I ALWAYS have shell and grit out for all the birds. Leghorn eggs are ALWAYS good and strong shelled. What is happening here?
 
This is normal. Their bodies are trying to figure things out. They sometimes lay eggs while on the roost just until their body works out the kinks.
What are you feeding them? If they aren't eating layer feed, you may want to put out a bowl of oyster shells that they can eat when they need it, it will help make shells on the eggs.
 
Could the leghorns not want to let them nest in THEIR boxes? Is this activity common?
It possible.
The younger birds are subordinate until they start laying,
but it can be hard to get to the nests of the older birds area still really dominating.
They may work it out in time....a fake egg in the each nest might help spread the love.
Some observation might pinpoint if there's bullying issue,
or it's just new layers not with the program yet.
Pics of your nests and coop might help garner suggestions for solutions.
 
Just an update... the very next day I got my FIRST BROWN EGG!! And even though it was small and only weighed 1 1/4 ounce she laid it in a nest box!! Yaaay! Exactly 23 weeks old domoniques. I ordered these special for my wife. She is sooo excited!! Hope everyone in my BYC family has a Very Merry Christmas!!
 
I just found two soft shelled eggs in my nesting box this morning. I think they are from an Olive egger, but they aren't olive eggs. (It's one of the chances with olive eggers that they don't necessarily produce olive eggs.) I've been giving them smashed shells, but I will also add oyster shells to the mix since I haven't had soft shell issues up until now.
 

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