Chicken health, weak eggs need help

[speedybeakrocker]

Hello everyone, we have 12 chickens and a rooster, our last flock of hens used to be free range and there eggs were bomb proof.. you could throw the eggs in the air and they'd just bounce. How ever our newest flock are stuck in the coop, personal reasons why they can't go out, trust me I'd let them out if I could, but there eggs now are weak. I can break a shell from tapping on them almost. And the yolks just break instantly once you crack the egg. I need some help and idea what I can do to fix this issue? We've been feeding them with oyster shell and lots of vegetable scraps and no difference. I'm about to dig up a layer of the coop and put some fresh dirt down since current is starting to get pretty hard packed. Open to all ideas to get these birds healthy again! Thank you!

 

[rjohns39]

Hello everyone, we have 12 chickens and a rooster, our last flock of hens used to be free range and there eggs were bomb proof.. you could throw the eggs in the air and they'd just bounce. How ever our newest flock are stuck in the coop, personal reasons why they can't go out, trust me I'd let them out if I could, but there eggs now are weak. I can break a shell from tapping on them almost. And the yolks just break instantly once you crack the egg. I need some help and idea what I can do to fix this issue? We've been feeding them with oyster shell and lots of vegetable scraps and no difference. I'm about to dig up a layer of the coop and put some fresh dirt down since current is starting to get pretty hard packed. Open to all ideas to get these birds healthy again! Thank you!

limit your treats to no more than 10% of diet and amp up their protein for a bit.

 

[barred2rock]

Welcome to the flock!

Take look at the following.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

You might think of fermenting their feed, with oyster shell on the side for the layers.
https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[Purina]

Hello everyone, we have 12 chickens and a rooster, our last flock of hens used to be free range and there eggs were bomb proof.. you could throw the eggs in the air and they'd just bounce. How ever our newest flock are stuck in the coop, personal reasons why they can't go out, trust me I'd let them out if I could, but there eggs now are weak. I can break a shell from tapping on them almost. And the yolks just break instantly once you crack the egg. I need some help and idea what I can do to fix this issue? We've been feeding them with oyster shell and lots of vegetable scraps and no difference. I'm about to dig up a layer of the coop and put some fresh dirt down since current is starting to get pretty hard packed. Open to all ideas to get these birds healthy again! Thank you!

Hi speedybeakrocker, great question! The major player in the equation is calcium. Once laid, an eggshell includes 2 grams of calcium. To get this level and still maintain strong bones, a hen requires 4 grams of calcium – all of which should come from her layer feed.

If the hen does not have the nutrient to support shell production, she may pull the calcium from her specialized (medullary) bones to support shell formation. To support egg shell formation, select a complete layer feed that includes Oyster Strong™ System, like Purina Layena® Plus Omega-3 or Purina Layena® Pellets or Crumbles. This added ingredient provides slow-release calcium, helping to supply calcium to hens at night, when they need it most.

You might find this article helpful as well, for a guide to strong egg shells.