Egg shells

[cldunford4]

I am having a problem with thin egg shells. I feed layer crumbles and have a separate pan with crushed oyster shell, but it doesn’t seem to be making any difference. What else can I do to make the egg shells harder. They crack easily and many have some cracks when gather them on the end.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

You can bake egg shells and crush them up and use those. I find my girls prefer them to oyster shells.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I am having a problem with thin egg shells

Welcome to BYC!

If you happen to be in the middle of heat wave, that can be one cause of brittle eggs.

Do you feed treats also or just as described above already? How old are your ladies?

This article is also good for reference of individual egg condition issues..
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

While my birds also enjoy the eggshells first.. lack of calcium doesn't appear to be the issue.. unless excess treats are being fed.

 

[cldunford4]

I have had issues with a few other bird wanting to eat their eggs in the begin of my chicken journey so I stay away from feeding them egg shells. Occasionally I will give them a treat(milk worms, tomatoes etc..) but not often. They free range in the evenings when I get home in the spring and summer and early fall before the time change. I work 5am to 5pm so during daylight savings time they only free range on the weekends. 5 of my birds are 3 years, the other 6 are 2 years old.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have had issues with a few other bird wanting to eat their eggs in the begin of my chicken journey so I stay away from feeding them egg shells. Occasionally I will give them a treat(milk worms, tomatoes etc..) but not often. They free range in the evenings when I get home in the spring and summer and early fall before the time change. I work 5am to 5pm so during daylight savings time they only free range on the weekends. 5 of my birds are 3 years, the other 6 are 2 years old.

That is why they should be baked and ground up. I have had egg eaters in the past but they actually did it less or not at all when I gave them shells. If that doesn't work for you you can try layer feed and see if that helps. Sometimes the chickens that need the calcium arent eating the oyster shell.

 

[peeper89]

chick like shells!

 

[cldunford4]

That is why they should be baked and ground up. I have had egg eaters in the past but they actually did it less or not at all when I gave them shells. If that doesn't work for you you can try layer feed and see if that helps. Sometimes the chickens that need the calcium arent eating the oyster shell.

Is there any other things I can feed them to help with the egg shell hardness?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That is why they should be baked and ground up

Baking NOT required.. and crushing should NOT be too small as it will flush right through the system without absorption if the particle size isn't large enough. I never bake my shells (or rinse them) but I do always let them dry out.. not touching each other (or cupped together) in order to not allow mold growth.

Feeding eggs shells does not cause egg eating.. they don't look the same and aren't served in the lay box. Sometimes lack of protein *may* contribute to egg eating and other disturbing behaviors. Too many times though nutrition is blamed for boredom.

I've raised probably a thousand birds.. and had a few happy accidents that got an egg eaten. Keeping wooden or ceramic eggs in the nests helps detour and prevent curiosity pecks from being rewarded.

Is there any other things I can feed them to help with the egg shell hardness?

With all of your birds at the age they will/should molt and not be laying eggs at that time.. I would consider switching to a flock raiser or grower type feed (still with oyster shell free choice on the side).. something with less calcium but more protein and amino acids (feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids). I never use layer feed anymore and since making the switch my birds have softer molts, recover faster and return to lay sooner. It sounds counter intuitive when we're discussing weak egg shells.. but there's more to the story in my experience and opinion than just calcium.

If it was only one of your birds experiencing it I would think personal genetic hiccup.. that doesn't appear to be the case.

What breed birds are we talking about? I didn't see what is your current weather pattern.. if you're in a part of the country that's feelin' the heat right now?

You mention time change.. so you're in the US I figure.. D3 helps with calcium absorption.. I repeat for my own sake that I don't think calcium is the issue (at least not the availability of it) BUT fwiw.. I would consider using a supplement.. like Rooster Booster (brand) Poultry Booster or Poultry Cell (product) to boost the other nutrients knowing that ultimately supporting the immune system via nutrients.. they all interact and support the entire system... and "layer" feed meets minimal guidelines but sometimes more than just the minimum is preferred/required.

Some folks when they are trying to get quick acting calcium into their birds like in the instance of egg binding and it's being used to support muscle action, not to make shell harder is Tums antacids.

I know @azygous also has a citri cal type supplement, maybe she will have some feedback regarding the whole scenario also?? TIA

 

[azygous]

The reason I recommend calcium citrate for all egg related issues is because it is absorbed so much quicker and easier than calcium carbonate, which is what oyster shell and egg shell are made of.

Causes of egg shell quality issues are many. It can be due to lack of sunlight exposure or poor uptake and adding vitamin D3 to the diet for a while can help.

There may be issues with the quality of oyster shell. It it's reduced to powder and tiny particles, as @EggSighted4Life pointed out, it will run right through a hen with not much being absorbed. So check the oyster shell for particle size.

The last possibility is an avian virus or a chronic disease, but those aren't usually correctable.

 

[cldunford4]

Baking NOT required.. and crushing should NOT be too small as it will flush right through the system without absorption if the particle size isn't large enough. I never bake my shells (or rinse them) but I do always let them dry out.. not touching each other (or cupped together) in order to not allow mold growth.

Feeding eggs shells does not cause egg eating.. they don't look the same and aren't served in the lay box. Sometimes lack of protein *may* contribute to egg eating and other disturbing behaviors. Too many times though nutrition is blamed for boredom.

I've raised probably a thousand birds.. and had a few happy accidents that got an egg eaten. Keeping wooden or ceramic eggs in the nests helps detour and prevent curiosity pecks from being rewarded.


With all of your birds at the age they will/should molt and not be laying eggs at that time.. I would consider switching to a flock raiser or grower type feed (still with oyster shell free choice on the side).. something with less calcium but more protein and amino acids (feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids). I never use layer feed anymore and since making the switch my birds have softer molts, recover faster and return to lay sooner. It sounds counter intuitive when we're discussing weak egg shells.. but there's more to the story in my experience and opinion than just calcium.

If it was only one of your birds experiencing it I would think personal genetic hiccup.. that doesn't appear to be the case.

What breed birds are we talking about? I didn't see what is your current weather pattern.. if you're in a part of the country that's feelin' the heat right now?

You mention time change.. so you're in the US I figure.. D3 helps with calcium absorption.. I repeat for my own sake that I don't think calcium is the issue (at least not the availability of it) BUT fwiw.. I would consider using a supplement.. like Rooster Booster (brand) Poultry Booster or Poultry Cell (product) to boost the other nutrients knowing that ultimately supporting the immune system via nutrients.. they all interact and support the entire system... and "layer" feed meets minimal guidelines but sometimes more than just the minimum is preferred/required.

Some folks when they are trying to get quick acting calcium into their birds like in the instance of egg binding and it's being used to support muscle action, not to make shell harder is Tums antacids.

I know @azygous also has a citri cal type supplement, maybe she will have some feedback regarding the whole scenario also?? TIA

Thanks everyone for the responses. To answer some of the questions. I have a variety of birds. Americana’s, Rhode Island, Golden Comet, Sapphire Gem, Dixie Rainbow, Black Sex Link. I live in Virginia (US) and we are having a big heat wave right now. Upper 80’s and Lower 90’s with high humidity.