Chicken laying soft

[ProChickens]

So i looked it up, and sea shell grit is used to grind down their food, it stays in their gizzard. While oyster shells dissolve in their gut, adding calcium. That might be your problem, they’re not getting enough calcium.

In the 20 year stretch,, I can remember less than 10 times, soft eggs. I think it would occur 1 or 2 and then correct itself.
BTW,, since day one,,,,of my chicken keeping,, I always gave the empty egg shells back to the chickens. I remember my mom doing that when I was a Lil Snipe about 8 years old... in a different land and different time.
Then at age 8 we moved to the city and no more chickens for many many years,, until got the backyard chickens as pets.

Ah okay, I'll probably feed them back their own shells but crush them up if that is fine. Also, would providing chickens with plain yogurt (as a treat) also help them?

 

[cavemanrich]

Ah okay, I'll probably feed them back their own shells but crush them up if that is fine. Also, would providing chickens with plain yogurt (as a treat) also help them?

I just drop on the run ground,,, and step on shells with shoe. The yogurt is fine,,, but I don't know all benefits it gives.. I know it is a Probiotic,,, which is a good thing, for digestive track.
The yogurt in my house stays for the human population. ,,, and we eat it regularly.. Low fat, and fruit flavored.

 

[ProChickens]

I just drop on the run ground,,, and step on shells with shoe. The yogurt is fine,,, but I don't know all benefits it gives.. I know it is a Probiotic,,, which is a good thing, for digestive track.
The yogurt in my house stays for the human population. ,,, and we eat it regularly.. Low fat, and fruit flavored.

Yeah pretty sure it has calcium in it and lets hope she lays normal eggs shortly!

 

[CKfarm22]

Yeah pretty sure it has calcium in it and lets hope she lays normal eggs shortly!

Don’t do too much yogurt it can give them diarrhea

 

[LabMomma]

Do you put apple cider vinegar in your chickens' water? If you constantly put apple cider vinegar in their water, it can cause soft shelled eggs. So, if you do, don't put it in their water for a while. If this is not the case, try giving them access to some kind of calcium 24/7. You can give them their own egg shells (crush them up) or you can give them crushed oyster shells

 

[ProChickens]

Do you put apple cider vinegar in your chickens' water? If you constantly put apple cider vinegar in their water, it can cause soft shelled eggs. So, if you do, don't put it in their water for a while. If this is not the case, try giving them access to some kind of calcium 24/7. You can give them their own egg shells (crush them up) or you can give them crushed oyster shells

I don't always, just once every two weeks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So i looked it up, and sea shell grit is used to grind down their food, it stays in their gizzard. While oyster shells dissolve in their gut, adding calcium. That might be your problem, they’re not getting enough calcium.

?? Not sure where you got this info from, but non-oyster sea shells are made of calcium just as oyster shells are. I've even caught my girls eating snail shells for calcium.

I agree that ACV can possibly interfere with calcium absorption, and I've never seen a reason to use it myself.

OP: I personally would not mix calcium into the food, as that makes it harder for the birds that don't need the extra calcium to avoid it. However,if you know exactly which bird is the problem bird, isolate her for a private breakfast. 2-3x a week serve a small bowl (like 1 Tbsp is fine) of wet or fermented feed with oyster shell mixed in. If she does not like chunks of oyster shell, crush it up or use the powdery remnants from bottom of the bag. Should only take her minutes to eat and after that she's free to go.

Assuming her issue is simply insufficient calcium intake, you should see results in a week or two, and you can try reducing it to 1-2x a week and should hopefully continue getting good results. If you still have the same issue, then you might need to try pills of calcium citrate instead for a faster, bigger calcium boost.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I just searched it on google and this is what popped up. It was a whole article about it

Did you read the article? The words "sea shell grit" aren't even in it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

grr, give me a sec... This is why you MUST read articles and not just google and screen shot something as "evidence."

This is the link to the article you referred to above: https://www.dineachook.com.au/blog/do-my-chickens-need-shell-grit/

Calcium in Shell Grit​

"Not only will shell grit assist in the breakdown of chicken feed, it also supplies much-needed calcium for healthy egg production"

 

[CKfarm22]

The first image you screen shotted (also, links are far more useful than a photo) contradicts what you're saying. It says SHELL grit.

Oops my bad, my brain isn’t working today haha. I read the first ss wrong. but the second one said shell grit. My bad