Duck egg question

[Brahmb]

Hi all. After two weeks of laying decent eggs, my duck laid one with no shell at all. Just the inside layer. I only assume this because I found the empty husk in the water dish with no shell fragments around it. After the initial egg was laid, all her eggs have been normal, so I never picked up oyster shells. Perhaps I should now?

The other possibility is that the new duck I got for her companionship may have laid a shell-less egg for her first egg of the year and Hewey hasn’t laid one yet today. Either way, do you think oyster shells will solve the problem or is it more serious?

Thanks.

 

[DuckyBabies]

I would definitely get some oyster shell to give to them. It should help make the shell on the egg stronger for hopefully no more soft eggs!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

x2 on @DuckyBabies' response - free choice oyster shell would be good to offer layers. I've had young Muscovy ducks lay rubbery (soft) eggs or eggs that looked like just the membrane (which we know is extra-tough in Muscovy eggs) even when they had access to oyster shell, so it may also just be a case of the duck's reproductive system "working things out". Hopefully, you'll just see normal-shell eggs from now on, but you're right to err on the side of caution and monitor them until the issue resolves.

 

[CrystaBub]

X3!