5 soft-shelled eggs today!

[ZaneyMama]

My 10 chickens are 23 weeks old. I've been getting 4-6 good hard-shelled eggs daily for the last couple weeks. Today, I found 5 soft-shelled eggs on the poop board under the roost. Then I only got 3 good eggs today.

Is there something wrong with them? They have access to oyster shell, clean water and good organic food at all times.

Thanks!

 

[PatS]

I wonder if something startled them during the night?

We occasionally have a soft shell. A couple of times it happened when there was some commotion early in the morning, which is why I ask. I always wonder if the egg just was "laid" too early. Almost without exception I find them under the roost, which means they were laid before I open the door at 6 AM, and my girls usually lay between 9AM and 3 PM.

 

[pgpoultry]

Could be that a predator has been hanging round the coop, but give them some grated cuttlefish bone and bread and vitaminised margarine (for vitamin D) just in case.

Sandie

 

[ZaneyMama]

Sandie,

What is the bread for and how much vitamin D do they need? I have no idea what vitaminized margarine is!

We have a raccoon that came about a month ago, but I haven't seen any signs of it lately. My dog goes crazy when he knows its been around.

 

[LynneP]

Get some liquid baby vitamins from a pharmacy or WalMart, the kind without added iron. Put in their water for a week or so, I bet things will improve.

 

[ZaneyMama]

I got 6 eggs again today. It must have been some weird fluke. What can cause that?

 

[Mrs. K]

You know I have been letting mine free range, and they are eating so many grasshoppers, that they are not eating hardly any layer feed. I too, went down and had 3 soft eggs all in one day. I did not have any sign of a predator.

I was going to be gone for three days, so I locked them in, and they had to eat the layer feed, nice bunch of eggs when I got back.

However, I posted the grasshopper question, and another answered that she was in the same boat, and had great eggs!

who know? Mrs.K

 

[pgpoultry]

Hi,

I just use the bread as a vehicle for the margarine. Look on the side of the margarine tub to see that vitamin D has been added( it is not in some margarine). This is a cheap and cheerful vitamin supplement which I use quite a lot, but baby vitamin drops are a bit more scientific!

sandie

 

[tlbunting1962]

Hey gang,
Mine just started laying eggs about 3 weeks ago. They are Plymouth Rocks and one Jersey Giant. Well the Jersey has laid three eggs so far and two of them had double yoke. Then one day last week my husband calls me at work and says we have white egg instead of a brown. Okay so I am thinking that the hens are still young and they are irregular in egg laying as of yet so I was not too worried. I came home and looked at the egg and it had a tinge of brown to it but otherwise it looked fine. Then yesterday at work one my co-workers asked me if I have had a soft egg shell yet and said no then guess what I went out there this morning and in the floor of the chicken tractor not even in the nest was a soft ewww egg. I got rid of it, I have to say it was gross to touch. Don't ask me why. Okay so anyway what do we think caused the soft egg of one, the white and I know what cause double eggs. Also, will it take some time to get the girls on a regular egg laying routine. Lucinda lays like clock work she has an egg for me every morning before I even get out there. Now I have been letting the girls out almost every day to wander the yard. I have oyster shell and granite available as well. Any help?