Do EE have really soft egg shells..or just mine?

[jarasz]

Okay I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this or not. But... hear goes. I have RIR and some sex-links and got some EE about 5 months ago. The EE have finally started laying. Yeppie...but the shell on the eggs is so soft that most of them are cracked by the time I get them inside. Maybe I'm not careful enough, but i've never had a problem with any of my brown eggs. I also noticed when using the eggs the EE shell breaks a lot easier then the other eggs. The chickens all eat the same thing so it's not the diet. It this just a breed thing?

 

[hcammack]

Do you give them oyster shells? also sometimes at first hens lay thin shelled eggs. My EE lays normal eggs.

Henry

 

[jarasz]

no I don't give them oyster shells, but I might start. I know that helps. I have other chickens who just started laying and the only soft shells I have noticed are from the EE. I just didn't know if this is what I needed to expect from them. But as you said maybe it is because they just started laying.

 

[amysflock]

Oddly, my EE's lay harder-shelled eggs than my brown egg layers. I always mention to my egg buyers that they'll probably need to try a little harder than normal to crack the green and blue ones!

 

[cantley2003]

My EE girls lay very thick shells as well. They rival my neighbors duck eggs in thickness.

 

[jarasz]

odd... Maybe it is that they just started laying and the shells will get harder with time. Some of the previous posters, do you feed your hens oyster shells or anything like that.

If your EE shells are harder then duck eggs that is impressive!

 

[caddyeldorado2006]

Start feeding your chickens oyster shells, it makes their shells harder than what they are now. Prob once a week with the feed that i fill up. You can buy this at tractor supply if you have one where you live and you wont have a prob with cracked eggs anymore.

 

[caddyeldorado2006]

Quote:
yes i do feed my chickens a golden phoenix and silver delaware oyster shells each time i fill their feed container that i keep in the house because of animals, and ants. you only need one cup to each fill up of the container. and it works, the eggs get harder than what they were. you can buy it at tractor supply or any livestock feed store, like seminole feed etc.

 

[amysflock]

I, too, feed oyster shell (free feed) because I have another layer (not sure who) who has been consistently laying fragile eggs that have hairline cracks in the ends by the time I can get to them. I think every chicken's a little different, as I also have one EE (I think, she's a little yellow and white girl with gray legs and a pea comb, but doesn't look like the other two EEs) who always lays gorgeous sky blue eggs that have gritty, rough shells. Very strange.