Egg shell VS Oyster shell?

[Aamanda]

Whichever hen is doing it does it at night around 7 ish. So I will go back out tonight after they roost to check. Hope it stops soon!! lol Hate to lose an egg.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens can get calcium from a lot of different sources. Certain plants and hard-shelled bugs are a possible source. If your native rock is limestone, they’ll get some calcium from the gravel they eat for grit. They’ll get calcium from oyster shell or egg shells. They’ll get calcium from chicken feed, Layer more than the others because it’s got more, but Starter, Grower, and all those others have some in it too. It all passes through their gut and they extract some calcium from it, including the calcium from egg shells.

They don’t digest all of the calcium though. A lot if it passes on through and on out in the poop. And they need some calcium for body maintenance. If their only source of calcium is their own egg shells it won’t be enough. Too much of it gets used for body maintenance or just wasted out the rear.

Let your eggs tell you how it’s going. If the shells are firm enough they are getting enough calcium from some source. What you are doing is working in your unique circumstances. If your egg shells are thin, you need to do something. Some of us offer oyster shell on the side and it lasts forever. They are getting calcium from other sources. For some of us, that oyster shell disappears pretty fast. They don’t have another good source.

If all they eat is Layer, they should be getting enough calcium from that. But if they eat something other than Layer, they may not be getting enough from the Layer.

If all or practically all your egg shells are thin, you have a flock problem and need to address it on a flock-wide basis. If all the eggs are fine except for one hen, then you don’t have a flock problem, you have an individual hen problem. Some hens just have something screwed up with their internal egg laying factory or they don’t have the instincts to seek out calcium. Personally I don’t keep those hens in my flock, but since one of my goals is raising them for meat, my solution is easy. I really don’t have any experience in how you would correct that in an individual hen and I hesitate to overfeed my flock calcium because of one hen. Why put the rest at risk for the sake of one?

That 4-1/2 month old sounds like she has just started to lay. There are several components to a pullet’s internal egg laying factory. Sometimes it just takes a few days to get the kinks worked out. They can lay all kinds of weird eggs when they just start to lay, but most work it out in a week or two at most. In some ways it’s surprising how many actually get it right to start with.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Ridgerunner has it right and there is little that I can add except to remind you about the following.

There are several reasons that a hen or pullet lays soft shelled eggs. Old age, a calcium deficiency, diseases of the reproductive track, and yes the very young, and a 4 1/2 months old is very young for a pullet to start laying. However the most common reasons is a deficiency of vitamin B3. A hen requires a good source of B3 to be able to convert dietary calcium (crushed limestone rock, spent egg shells, or ground up oyster shell) into bone tissue. Every egg shell comes right out of the hens' skeleton and what we feed them in the way of oyster shell etc. is first used to replenish or reinforce her skeletal system.

All three sources of calcium, egg shell, crushed limestone, and oyster shell are a goon source of dietary calcium. However spent eggshells are so small, fragile and light in nature that they can't remain in the digestive track long enough for the hen's digestive track to absorb the calcium in eggshells. Animal protein is about the only source of vitamin D3. Fish especially cod liver oil is the most important or richest source of vitamin D3. Beef liver (preferably raw) is another good source. Vitamin D3 is a necessary vitamin required for a hen to utilize calcium. Without D3 she just leaves your calcium on the poop board.

 

[Aamanda]

So far its just the one. The other eggs have nice hard shells. I grind the egg shells but not to small. That way they tend to stay in the gizzard longer. They also get greek yogurt for a treat. The "insides" of the rabbits when I butcher. Most of our leftovers go to them. Every now and then I throw them some dog food. Its mostly for the ducks but they like it as well. They are free range except for night and have free choice feed in the winter. I had another hen from the same batch lay a double yolker for about 15 eggs before she settled in. They also have a light that goes on in the coop at 3am. (ya for mostly morning eggs!) Im sure its an age issue but needed to hear it from others.

 

[tatertot]

I just had to learn more about rubber eggs..I haven't anything to add...everyone has covered all I read about them.
I'd say its just age..give her some time...it usely works pits self out

 

[Aamanda]

I just had to learn more about rubber eggs..I haven't anything to add...everyone has covered all I read about them.
I'd say its just age..give her some time...it usely works pits self out

Yesterday got a blood streaked egg. (on the outside) and no "rubber egg" YAY! So im hoping she has the kinks worked out. Ill check again tonight.

 

[tatertot]

Hooray...soon you'll get scads of eggs

 

[Aamanda]

Hooray...soon you'll get scads of eggs

I cant wait!! Im getting about 6-8 a day now. If all goes well. Sending M/O tomorrow for more chicks then by summer I should have a lot of eggs!!!

 

[tatertot]

Yup...hope they do a better job sending you what you ordered

 

[Aamanda]

Yup...hope they do a better job sending you what you ordered

Got a ship date of feb 10th so ok so far. LOL BUT after all the emails and phone calls I sent the MO off. They called me when they got it and the SAME lady I been talking to tells me "We got your money order but I forgot to add shipping to the total"..........(ME) "Um....Yeah. You said you would waive the shipping for this order" (HER) ---silence--- "Oh yeah! I forgot. Never mind the total is correct. and your ship date is Feb 10th"
LOL some people. But other than that im just waiting to see if they ship.