Broken eggshells

[kyrose00]

I have four 6 month old Rhode Island Red hens. One of the hens, always manages to break the shell on her eggs immediately after laying them. They are not pecked, the membrane is never broken, and there is no evidence that any of them have tried to eat an egg. Has anyone else seen this, what can I do. This is my second flock of Rhode Island Reds, and I've never seen or heard of this. shells look like they have been smashed on one side.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
What exactly do you feed your birds?

 

[BlessedmamaAELE]

She could be calcium deficient. Are the shells really thin?

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to active posting on BYC. Layers feed and no additional kinds of food would be my first and most readily doable course of action.

She could be a late developer, but take a look at this link assuming the issue persists.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to active posting on BYC! Nice to meet you.
Are the shells of the damaged eggs full thickness? As @Texas Kiki asks, what exactly are you feeding them? Do you have a separate container of oyster shells available for additional calcium?

 

[mdquilts]

The second and third eggs I got from my RIR were broken. I put a square of floor cushioning and more bedding into the nest and haven’t had a problem since. Now getting eggs from all 6 of my girls

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Great advice already given....

Welcome to our FUNomenal community! Best wishes and have lots of fun!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!! Do you have enough bedding in your nests?

 

[N F C]

Hi, it's nice to have you here with us!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

6 month old Rhode Island Red hens.

Six months generally is when most birds start laying.
Until they fully mature, there will be anomalies.. such as odd shapes, weak shells or shell less and even pigeon size eggs are possible.

My advise to you is,
find a good quality brand with a high protein and calcium content.. and stick with it. Don't switch brands, don't change their diet. Even if a coupon comes in the mail for buy one get one free of the cheap off brands..
Egg production is how calcium is drained out of hens in direct result of the process. It needs to be re introduced into the bird's body daily(active layers)