ALWAYS soft shells from my MARANS..whats up

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

Wehn she first started laying they were AWESOME..nice shells..really dark and firm. now all she lays (when she lays) is these really soft eggs.they almost always break open whenyou grab them.. sometimes she will lay two at a time. is she missing something in her diet. they have the oystershells in the feed ( made at my local feed store) and 16% protien.. plus all the bugs and grass she can eat.. Her feathers look good but her comb and waddles are a little pale next to some of the other girls....

 

[ChickenAl]

Not sure why they are soft shelled, especially if there is oyster shell given, but laying two eggs at once does not sound normal.

 

[karlamaria]

Do you give any other calcium? We give our girls Greek yogurt each day, full of calcium ! They will not touch that calcium stuff in a bag, they eat there crumble layer food and the yogurt, and fruits with veggies.

 

[lauriej57]

Are you giving them layer feed? If not, what kind of feed. If they are being fed good layer feed, you won't normally have problems with soft shelled eggs, and if so, the oyster shell should take care of it.

Laying 2 eggs in one day isn't normal, but if they are soft shelled she is probably having a hard time passing them, so they might be backing up, which will lead to bigger problems.

My older hens, like 3 years old often lay really thin shelled eggs. When I start finding them, I start giving oyster shell, and it usually clears up in a day or two. Thin shelled eggs, or soft shell eggs can easily break inside of them, which is where the problem comes in.