Breaking eggs issue

[Squirrel Man]

First post is a question, an issue I'm suddenly having. I have 6 sex link reds, they generally lay on average 5 eggs a day but with the summer heat they've slowed a bit averaging 3 maybe. They're on layer pellets but throughout the year they eat a LOT of scraps (vegetable and bread stuff that my local hospital cafeteria saves for me daily - I bribe them with eggs lol), probably 75% of their diet is scraps. They've done very well, healthy and productive on this system. I also supplement them with a heavy dose of oyster shell once a week or so.

They're 2 and a half years old and lately their shells have been thinning. At first they were impossibly thick, much thicker than store bought eggs but just lately they're thinner and sometimes crack easily. I do crumble up their shells and feed them back to them.

So just recently for a few days straight now I'm getting one single flattened egg in their layer box. Every day just one egg, it's really odd. Never happened before. They're not eating the shells, I clean it out and throw it away. There are 5 side boxes in the coop but they consistently lay in just one box. Boxes are padded with cedar chips and sometimes when they kick chips out an egg might break on the wooden bottom but I have them fairly well padded.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you just have a hen that is having a glitch. For a lot of years, chickens were fed mostly scraps and a little grain, and not a perfect diet.

I just don't think the perfect diet is an every day kind of thing. Very few people have a perfect diets and for the most part, life goes on. Now if you want maximum production and maximum life span, well go for it.

I will toss scraps, sometimes if is way more than 10% and sometimes it is less. I keep an eye on the run floor. If things are still there the next day, I back off on them. I think a hospital staff amount of scraps might be too much. But I really don't think that the diet has that much to do with it.

KEEP the oyster shell out in a separate bowl 24-7. It will just sit there, and look like nothing eats it, and then one day it will be gone, then add more. And you don't have to cook the egg shells, just toss them in the bucket.

Egg goofs happen, the high heat, maybe their age all might be influencing. Truthfully, you can do all of the above, or do nothing, and I think it will stop in about the same amount of days.

Mrs k

 

[nuthatched]

Remove 60% of the scraps, as healthy as it seems, it's actually not great for them.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I have a red sex link that kays very thin shelled eggs. Yesterday was so thin it was like the consistency of a rubber glove.? with the insides spilled out in bedding.
Let them have as much oyster shell as possible, and give back their shells too. I've also given them dissolved calcium citrate tablet . I was told to give directly in her beak but wasn't sure which hen it was.
If they are egg eating I ditto the mustard idea.
Difference here is I only have one thin shelled egg layer. I hope this helps,
I also ditto the more feed and less treat post as this will give more calcium in diet. I feed very little bread, treats are small amounts of black oil sunflower seeds, some scratch, floating fish food ( cheap protein 38%) and I started wetting their feed.
Cold fruit scraps and veggie scraps.

 

[Squirrel Man]

I think you just have a hen that is having a glitch. For a lot of years, chickens were fed mostly scraps and a little grain, and not a perfect diet.

I just don't think the perfect diet is an every day kind of thing. Very few people have a perfect diets and for the most part, life goes on. Now if you want maximum production and maximum life span, well go for it.

I will toss scraps, sometimes if is way more than 10% and sometimes it is less. I keep an eye on the run floor. If things are still there the next day, I back off on them. I think a hospital staff amount of scraps might be too much. But I really don't think that the diet has that much to do with it.

KEEP the oyster shell out in a separate bowl 24-7. It will just sit there, and look like nothing eats it, and then one day it will be gone, then add more. And you don't have to cook the egg shells, just toss them in the bucket.

Egg goofs happen, the high heat, maybe their age all might be influencing. Truthfully, you can do all of the above, or do nothing, and I think it will stop in about the same amount of days.

Mrs k

Thanks Mrs K, that sounds like good advice. I'll be patient and careful.

I was just in Custer SD a few weeks ago for a little vacation with the family.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I've learned on here that hybrids seem to have more reproductive issues.
My hens stopped eating their feed too so I fermented it and now with heat I just wet it with COLD water which they love. Since this heat they haven't been eating much . Good luck they will get back to laying soon I think also.
ps. Mine all fight to lay in one box too!

 

[WendyTestaburger]

I would leave the oyster shell out for them all the time and keep it full. They can help themselves to as much as they need then.

You can also do a mixture of Mustard, vinegar, hot sauce and water (until it's about egg yolk consistency) and fill an egg with it. Seal with a bit of candle wax and leave in the nest box. That fixed mine eating eggs for a good while and when they started again I'd just fix them up another special egg surprise.

 

[Stacaroni]

"Boxes are padded with cedar chips"

I thought cedar was bad for chickens. Is it just chicks that are vulnerable?

 

[Kiki]

First post is a question, an issue I'm suddenly having. I have 6 sex link reds, they generally lay on average 5 eggs a day but with the summer heat they've slowed a bit averaging 3 maybe. They're on layer pellets but throughout the year they eat a LOT of scraps (vegetable and bread stuff that my local hospital cafeteria saves for me daily - I bribe them with eggs lol), probably 75% of their diet is scraps. They've done very well, healthy and productive on this system. I also supplement them with a heavy dose of oyster shell once a week or so.

They're 2 and a half years old and lately their shells have been thinning. At first they were impossibly thick, much thicker than store bought eggs but just lately they're thinner and sometimes crack easily. I do crumble up their shells and feed them back to them.

So just recently for a few days straight now I'm getting one single flattened egg in their layer box. Every day just one egg, it's really odd. Never happened before. They're not eating the shells, I clean it out and throw it away. There are 5 side boxes in the coop but they consistently lay in just one box. Boxes are padded with cedar chips and sometimes when they kick chips out an egg might break on the wooden bottom but I have them fairly well padded.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Oh my...the poor things are going to start having more serious issues soon. Please stop ALL the scraps before it's too late. The layer pellets are a complete balanced diet.
Anything that you feed besides that is taking away from them getting a balanced diet.

 

[rosemarythyme]

"Boxes are padded with cedar chips"

I thought cedar was bad for chickens. Is it just chicks that are vulnerable?

It depends.

I have well aged Western cedar chips mixed in with other chips in my coop and run, no issue as they've lost all their aroma. My brooder is also 100% cedar and my coop has cedar trim. Having lots of ventilation plays a role too.

I would avoid using all cedar, fresh cedar, or Eastern Red cedar (which is highly aromatic) as a general rule.