A soft shelled egg???

[Tgallaher1]

So my Olive Egger has been laying for about 2/3 weeks and overnight, from the perch layed a soft shelled egg. She was in a nesting box for a while yesterday, but no egg resulted. Then this morning I went out to give the girls some steel cut oats and apples, and found the egg below the perch inside the hen house. I feed their shells back to them after I bake them, and they are on Organic, non gmo layer crumbles that I throw a bit of oyster into.....any suggestions??
Thanks in advance!

 

[Welshies]

Sometimes this happens with new layers. Make sure you are providing free-choice shells, or oyster shell. I would take your hens off the layer feed- feeding lay-feed to non-laying birds can cause liver failure, delayed development, or calcium overdose (this includes non-laying hens, roosters, and chickens below laying age). Switch them to an 18-22% all flock or maintenance feed.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

 

[Chicken Whisper101]

Supplement their food with Oystershell. When they first lay some eggs they are likely to be soft.

 

[mountainbunny]

When they first start laying it is completely normal to get a soft shelled egg every now and then. They are still getting their systems working. If it happens on a regular basis she needs more calcium. Giving them crushed up egg shells like you are doing is a good idea. You can also offer them oyster shells on the side so they can take what they need. You can purchase them at any feed store. I believe a 50lb bag cost about 10 to 15 dollars.

 

[Tgallaher1]

Sometimes this happens with new layers. Make sure you are providing free-choice shells, or oyster shell. I would take your hens off the layer feed- feeding lay-feed to non-laying birds can cause liver failure, delayed development, or calcium overdose (this includes non-laying hens, roosters, and chickens below laying age). Switch them to an 18-22% all flock or maintenance feed.

All of my hens are laying, so they need to be on layer feed.

 

[Tgallaher1]

When they first start laying it is completely normal to get a soft shelled egg every now and then. They are still getting their systems working. If it happens on a regular basis she needs more calcium. Giving them crushed up egg shells like you are doing is a good idea. You can also offer them oyster shells on the side so they can take what they need. You can purchase them at any feed store. I believe a 50lb bag cost about 10 to 15 dollars.

I have a 50 lb bag, ive just been throwing it in with their crumble.

 

[Welshies]

All of my hens are laying, so they need to be on layer feed.

No, they don't. Lay feed only has extra calcium, and often lacks in protein. layers are 100% fine on 18-22% all flock or maintenace feed as long as you give a free-choice source of calcium (egg shell or oyster shell).

 

[Tgallaher1]

Supplement their food with Oystershell. When they first lay some eggs they are likely to be soft.

I am doing that...not sure if she picks it out or if its just her new system working it out. Thanks.

 

[Welshies]

I've had layers be super profiencient on whole grains and completely suck on lay feed. The best feed isn't always lay feed, and most BYCers avoid it