brittle eggs.........???

[cmom]

All of my girls , pullets and hens, lay nice eggs with very hard shells except for one of my nearly 2 yr old RIR hens. She lays jumbo eggs 6 days a week. In the past few months her eggs have been pale and fairly brittle. Last week and this week one has broken in the nest. They all get layer pellets, free choice oyster shells & grit, scratch, oats, unshelled sunflower seeds, baled alfalfa, vegies from the garden, and they free range. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, or knows why.....

 

[gritsar]

Hey cmom,
Check out this:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

It's my understanding that some hens can have calcium absorption issues, just like humans.

 

[cmom]

Thanks gritsar.

She is a good layer and lays jumbo eggs most every day. She only misses maybe one day a week. The wierd part is that she had pretty eggs. They had spots on them. The back row is her eggs and the front row are the other hens eggs.

This what her eggs look like now. The back row is her eggs and the front row are the other hens eggs. I'm going to look for a before picture.

 

[chantald]

This is happening to me too! My 1 1/2 year old RIR hen was laying HUGE dark brown shell'd eggs and they have gotten very pale.. nearly cream with thinner shells..

I wonder if it is the feed? She is on grower's pellets as we have a mixed aged flock and I was told that feeding layer's pellets could kill the younger birds.. but I do have oyster shell calcium available in a feeder..

She is other wise healthy.. active, alert, good comb color..

 

[chookchick]

I have one hen that is a very good layer--and I noticed one of her eggs has that darkish spot near the top like yours! Her shells are still hard, but I kind of wish she would slow down a bit on the egg-making! No ideas.....

 

[gritsar]

I've seen more egg deformaties with this insufferable heat than I ever saw before.