Broken eggs :(

[posandneg]

Hello!

We recently purchased 2 hybrid hens, one is laying perfectly nice healthy looking eggs however the other hen's egg attempts are broken and she ends up with yolk down her leg This seems to happen every other day or so. She's only done this 3/4 times so might it be that she is new to laying?

They are free range and have access to laying feed and crushed oyster shells, is there anything else I can give them to help her? I've read up about egg bound hens and olive oil etc but not sure if this is the same.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Neg would too

 

[Den in Penn]

Are the shells coming out?

 

[Rhoise]

I've been getting soft broken eggs from one of my golden sex links. Someone recommended yogurt for extra calcium, probiotics, and minerals in addition to the layer feed and oyster shells. I've been taking a scoop of layer pellets(2C) and mixing it with a couple dollops(1C) of plain white yogurt and a bit of water(1/2C), the girls love it, not sure if its helping, she is only 19 weeks today and it's only her 2nd egg in a week, 2 eggs six days apart both soft one last Sat and one this Fri. The temps have been brutal here and the air is thick with smoke from wildfires burning in the nearby national forest, so I'm sure this isn't ideal but things will improve as the weather cools and she matures, many folks have said this is common in young pullets, and Hybrids.

 

[posandneg]

Parts of the shell are coming out, you can see it in her bed in the morning - usually a bit of shell, then that middle membrane is separate and then egg yolk and white everywhere.

 

[Rhoise]

Got a solid egg # 3 this week from hybrid pullet, although it was very thin shelled this morning.

Not sure if 3 days of yogurt mash is helping or not? Also mixed up a quart of electrolytes in chick waterer..... Temps very hot, in the 100's they drink like crazy so lots of water may be leaching calcium.

Not sure where you live and the temps there Posandneg. Sorry wish I knew the cause of your broken inside eggs?

Mine may be young pullet, calcium/h20 , heat, etc etc I have seen slight improvement with yogurt mash and age( 1 week older 3rd egg, mash x3) heat and smoke are still brutal!

 

[Den in Penn]

Do they sleep in the nests? If they are breaking inside that can lead to egg yoke peritonitis. If that is the case I don't think much a can be done to help her. If she is sleeping in the nest and laying weak shells, than by getting her to lay stronger shells it might help.