Egg laying problem and question?

JANETG9

In the Brooder
6 Years
Apr 12, 2013
11
0
22
My Isa browns have just started laying, tonight why i was cleaning the coop and they were out to free range my hen came up by me and started laying. She laid two eggs one with a very soft shell and the other with no shell really only membrane. I just switch them this week to layer feed and started to give them all oyster calcium. My girls are only 19 weeks old are they to young to start laying? And why 2 eggs and both soft shell? Is their something wrong or am I doing something wrong? She is the second chicken to start laying this week. Could she of been backed up, I have heard that chickens can hold their eggs. Will she go back to lay normal eggs? Is their anything i can do to improve their eating habits. The free range part of the day and are fed a good diet, they get treats that are good for them plenty of fresh water and grit and now oyster calcium. Any help would be appriciated.
 
Our chickens did the same thing. You can by oyster calcium to harden their shells. When chickens first start laying the lay some faulty eggs because their bodies are adjusting to the occurrence. Soon they should start to lay normal eggs. Hope I helped :)
 
This happened to us tonight! We were eating dinner when my daughter told me to go look at the ground because there was "something interesting" and boy was she right!

My girls just started laying, we found our first eggs on Sunday after being gone for the weekend (3 good solid eggs!). I read somewhere that the soft eggs can happen when they are just getting started in the laying business. I'm hoping we get solid eggs consistently soon. I feel like we get a gift from them when I find eggs, it's so fun! :)
 
My Isa browns have just started laying, tonight why i was cleaning the coop and they were out to free range my hen came up by me and started laying. She laid two eggs one with a very soft shell and the other with no shell really only membrane. I just switch them this week to layer feed and started to give them all oyster calcium. My girls are only 19 weeks old are they to young to start laying? And why 2 eggs and both soft shell? Is their something wrong or am I doing something wrong? She is the second chicken to start laying this week. Could she of been backed up, I have heard that chickens can hold their eggs. Will she go back to lay normal eggs? Is their anything i can do to improve their eating habits. The free range part of the day and are fed a good diet, they get treats that are good for them plenty of fresh water and grit and now oyster calcium. Any help would be appriciated.
19 weeks is ballpark for certain breeds and some may start even younger than that. It's normal for new layers to lay a few soft-shelled eggs or shell-less eggs. The 2 eggs in a row was the result of her oviduct releasing two mature yolks shortly after another and when they passed through they skipped the egg shell formation stage. She should be getting enough calcium from the oystershell and layer feed, so I think all she needs is a little time to work out all the kinks in her reproductive system.
 
Just be glad you got the soft one before an inquisitive chicken took a peck and learned the joy of eating raw eggs. As said above, a few soft eggs are normal every now and then when they first start laying. They will vary in size and color too until they get the kinks worked out. I only had one soft layer this year and it was only one egg. After that, it was solid and consistent eggs. As also said above, chickens vary in maturing into egg laying production. I had one start early, a few on time, and some go to 23 plus weeks and counting this year.
 
Thank you everyone for all the good advice, I was worried about it. I already went threw a pecking war and one of my hens is in our made up hospital ward. I never thought in a million years these ladies would become like kids to me. We had chickens on our farm when i was young but that was years ago and when your a kid you just dont pay attention to these things.
 
My gals are a part of the family it seems too. They greet me in the morning and follow me around asking for treats. They often come up and jump into my lap while sitting on the back patio too. My kids love to feed them grapes or blueberries as treats. Mary and I are happy with our decision to reconnect with our roots by getting back into gardening and raising chickens. Enjoy them.
 

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