Anyone Else Have Soft Eggs Dropped at Night?

[jlmann]

Did I read right that your birds are still on starter/grower feed? You should probably switch to layer feed ASAP since they are laying eggs. This should help because it has more of the nutrients that they need when producing eggs. I think one of the main differences is calcium , so you could mix a good bit of oyster shell in with the starter feed if you are intent on using all of it. They may not have figured out that they need to eat the oyster shell yet

 

[Krys109uk]

Our 5 1/2 week old Production Red has been laying for about 3 weeks now

I didn't read that properly.....
You mean this bird was laying at 2 1/2 weeks old?

Surely not.​

 

[mrholdem11]

i bought oyster shells nd last night i had no soft eggs drop.

 

[baltimoreharps]

So, is this a new layer thing? Not just an "at any time" in the chicken's lifespan?
For a refresher, 6 chickens, undetermined ages, some old, 3 are layers for sure, layer feed, oyster shell, and kitchen scraps on the list here at BYC.

No egg from the one that we think is the youngin' today with the soft eggs. The last 2 days however, we had some HUGE honkin' eggs from her! 3" tall and a circumference of 6"... they won't even fit in a normal egg carton slot!

OUCH!

 

[slickchick]

YIKES!!

 

[basicliving]

Soft shelled and shell-less eggs are not uncommon in new layers. Be sure they have a good quality layer feed and oyster shell available. Feed them back egg shells after you eat the eggs. It may take a few weeks for their bodies to work out the whole laying thing.

One note - while you are seeing soft or shell-less eggs, be sure to keep an eye on the vent area. Sometimes the soft shells will burst or fall apart before they are layed and they can become stuck in the vent. Just keep an eye out and if you notice it, you'll have to gently tug the shell out. If the white has hardened around the vent area, soak the vent in warm water and be sure the vent is clear. Don't mean to alarm you - it's just something I've had happen a few times with new layers and may come in handy for you to watch out for.

Take care,
Penny

 

[ghillie]

I would try a little cod liver oil. I soaked some small pieces of bread and gave to my hen. She has not had another one since. It is suppossed to help them absorb and process the calium and vitamins and help them get into sync......

 

[evaraye]

My hens are 2 years old and have been laying for at least 19 months... in the past 2 months we have found 3 soft shell eggs. 2 were found in the coop and one out in the grass while the hen was roaming during the day. What could make this hen suddenly start laying soft shell eggs. I read one post where one hen is giving them a huge egg. Well that is what we find almost everyday. We occassionaly get a very tiny egg as well. Like the size of a kumquat. Is there anything I can give my hens to help with the soft shell eggs.

 

[mrholdem11]

I scattered crushud oyster shells and did not get another soft egg, everyone said calcium difisionsy, it worked.
you can get it at the feed store, spread a little every couple of days. thanks for responding.

 

[moosenbudda]

I just found my first soft egg this morning and im glad to see some responses