Broken Egg from Leghorn Almost Every Day

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have a 14 month old mixed breed hen that does this. She’s only laid a handful of normal eggs in her life! I usually give chick starter grower plus oyster and egg shells on the side, because I have a mixed flock. She seems to eat eggshell and oyster, so I’m not sure why she has this issue. I’ve put them all on layer sometimes to try to help her, but since her normal eggs are so erratic it’s hard to tell if that has helped. She’s the only one of a flock of 9 layers that does this, and it’s been almost since she started laying, so I think it’s a problem unique to her. I don’t worry about it but congratulate her when I get a normal egg!

 

[FowlWitch]

I have a 14 month old mixed breed hen that does this. She’s only laid a handful of normal eggs in her life! I usually give chick starter grower plus oyster and egg shells on the side, because I have a mixed flock. She seems to eat eggshell and oyster, so I’m not sure why she has this issue. I’ve put them all on layer sometimes to try to help her, but since her normal eggs are so erratic it’s hard to tell if that has helped. She’s the only one of a flock of 9 layers that does this, and it’s been almost since she started laying, so I think it’s a problem unique to her. I don’t worry about it but congratulate her when I get a normal egg!

@jlwquilter
Some birds have a harder time processing nutrients than others. Maybe try giving her a D3 supplement and see if that helps.

 

[jlwquilter]

You started giving oyster shell recently? You can try getting some liquid calcium to mix with water and offering it alongside a separate container of fresh water so they have a free choice between the two.

I’ve always had eggshells available. Always. There is oyster shells of all size in the sand I use for the coop floor. They have plenty of free access to calcium. What I’m wondering is if they actually are eating any of it. One leghorn’s egg is good and always has been. All the other hens have great shells.

I forgot to mention that 2 eggs had super thin shells about 4 days ago. On the same day of a broken/deflated shell. So 3 out of 4 leghorn eggs that day had shell issues. That’s when I decided to try adding calcium in the form of powdered eggshell to their feed. I did get the next day when 3 laid and all 3 shells were good but that success didn’t hold. So that’s when I added a feeder with layena pellets in it as a free choice for all the flock. I do see hens eating the layena but overall they strongly prefer the flock raiser crumbles. I do go thru the eggshells- the hens other than the leghorns eat the shells as they should.

I Don’t think the yesterday egg was pecked per say. The leghorns hog the nesting boxes until they are done. The other hens go
In quickly once the boxes are free and they do tend to roll the leghorn eggs out of the way. Maybe this action on a wet egg caused the ‘lines’? I do not think overall the other hens like the leghorns very much!

I too thought adding calcium where the leghorns couldn’t avoid it was the way to go. But I got serious pushback from someone when I mentioned the issue and what I tried on another thread. I’m hoping this thread dedicated to the question will give me the info I need to try to 1) address any underlying issue that may be present and 2) get the most eggs I can.

Oh. The leghorns I got on May 1. They had issues the previous owner didn’t disclose. I’ve fixed most of that but them having a low calcium reserve, so to speak, wasn’t immediately on my radar.

Ok. I’m Putting more of this together by posting. All
4 had significant feathering issues. The one with the least feather issue is also the one with no egg issues. They are all finally feathering in nicely. Maybe the eggshell issue WILL resolve After All
The feathering is completed...? They are getting the higher protein by eating the flock raiser but may also need more calcium and for whatever reasons they aren’t eating what they need even though it’s available thru 2 different ways (the eggshell feeder and the oyster shells in the sand floor).

But the bottom
Line is... they probably need to Intake more calcium
Than they have been to support not only the feathering but good laid eggs too... right?

 

[jlwquilter]

@jlwquilter
Some birds have a harder time processing nutrients than others. Maybe try giving her a D3 supplement and see if that helps.

Where do I get a D3 supplement?

 

[FowlWitch]

Where do I get a D3 supplement?

Try these:

https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MIyLPcieKk4wIVz8DICh2WyAWmEAkYASABEgIqc_D_BwE

https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/pro...MIhdaIleKk4wIVjI3ICh2XIgWkEAkYASABEgI_kPD_BwE

 

[jlwquilter]

Try these:

https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MIyLPcieKk4wIVz8DICh2WyAWmEAkYASABEgIqc_D_BwE

https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/pro...MIhdaIleKk4wIVjI3ICh2XIgWkEAkYASABEgI_kPD_BwE

I’m Not quite awake yet and only Got a few hours. You’re referring to vitamin D right? I live in SE Florida and even with the rains there’s been plenty of sunshine.

 

[jlwquilter]

I just came back into the house for a few minutes.

NO broken/delayed egg today. Isis (a suspect) has been in and out of a nest box. She also did that a few days ago on a day with a broken egg and I was sure she was the hen. I was not able to confirm she laid either. It’s part of why I wonder if the hen doing this knows she laid.

 

[Folly's place]

You can also overdo the calcium supplements, don't do that!
Continue feeding the all-flock feed with oyster shell on the side, and see if things continue to improve. Egg shells on the side are okay, but not powdered, as it's not going to be available when the hen is laying down the shell.
Not all hens will have normal eggs all the time, or for years, even with the best of care their entire lives. High producing hens especially can develop reproductive issues even earlier in their lives, not fixable. Hope she does better!
Mary

 

[jlwquilter]

You can also overdo the calcium supplements, don't do that!
Continue feeding the all-flock feed with oyster shell on the side, and see if things continue to improve. Egg shells on the side are okay, but not powdered, as it's not going to be available when the hen is laying down the shell.
Not all hens will have normal eggs all the time, or for years, even with the best of care their entire lives. High producing hens especially can develop reproductive issues even earlier in their lives, not fixable. Hope she does better!
Mary

Ok. It’s really more of a fine grind. I roll over the baked shells with a rolling pin a bunch of times. The free offered shells I run thru a handy chopper so they vary in size. Like I said before everyone hits that feeder and I go thru a good amount of shells. I top it off every few days.

I certainly don’t want to endanger 15 good layers for 3 that are having some issues. It’s been going on for several weeks and I was hoping to finally address it. Maybe I need to wait and see for a while longer, especially as the feathering is making good progress this last week.

For education purposes: why would powdered calcium not be nutritionally available for the hen to use to lay down a shell but liquid or from shell pieces would be? I read that sometimes Tums is used and that mashes down into the same fine particle sizes the rolling pin shells do.

 

[Shadrach]

This article covers most egg laying problems and their possible causes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/
There are couple of other issues that I have found here sometimes produce soft shelled eggs.
The most obvious is the hen has reproductive issues from the outset. This may be genetic and there isn't anything you can do about it.
Particularly with junior hens when confined a shortage of nest boxes or their insistence on using a particular nest box can cause soft shelled eggs. What can happen is a senior hen will drive the junior out of the nest box and the stress causes the junior hen to jettison the egg not fully formed.
You may find it easier to work backwards with this and identify those hens that lay fully formed eggs first. You should end up with fewer suspects which you could then isolate and observe.