Egg stuck and now soft eggs question

[byouland]

First I noticed one of my hens having issues laying eggs. For the last couple days each time she tries to lay and egg it gets stuck. Thankfully when I go to her to calm her down it comes out. However today I woke up and discovered two soft eggs on the ground inside the hens runs that had soft shells. I'm not sure if this is the same hen having trouble with the stuck egg, or if its another hen. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should be doing? Is this two different problems I need to be concerned about or just one?

I have 4 hens in total. They range from 7 months in age to 5 months in age. Currently 3 of my hens having been laying eggs for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Is it one of the younger ones that gets egg bound?
When did she start laying?
When did she become egg bound?
How long have they been on layer feed?
Do they also have a calcium source on the side, i.e. oyster shell, crumbled egg shells?

 

[byouland]

Is it one of the younger ones that gets egg bound?
When did she start laying?
When did she become egg bound?
How long have they been on layer feed?
Do they also have a calcium source on the side, i.e. oyster shell, crumbled egg shell

I haven't seen my youngest hen go in to lay and egg.
My two 7 month old hens started laying a month ago. My 5 month old started laying last week, and my other 5 month old hasn't started laying at all. Could it be her?
The 7 month old started being egg bound once last week, and again yesterday.
They have been on layer feed since they have been 4 months old.
I don't provide a calcium source. Should I be doing that?
I give them black sunflower seeds, crushed corn, and oats for a treat.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So they were on layer up to 2 months before they started making shells. That's a long time. I usually wait till I get my first egg to start layer. That works if they are all the same age and all pullets. If a mixed flock it's better to keep them on a grower/finisher and provide the oyster shell on the side. Only the birds that are making eggs will eat it.

Here's a good piece on egg shell quality from a Canadian feed company.
http://www.nutrecocanada.com/docs/s...-formation-and-eggshell-quality-in-layers.pdf
pages 4-7 have the info you should look at.
Layer has 4 times the calcium of grower.

 

[casportpony]

If she were mine I would give her one or two human calcium pills (500-1000mg) every other day a few times to see if that helps.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Extra calcium to upset the balance of Ca ratio isn't a good thing to do. The ratio should be 2:1.
Excessive amounts of calcium can actually be the cause of soft eggs rather than the cure.
Calcium is necessary, not only for the 2 to 3 grams needed to make the egg, but also for muscles to contract properly.
However, during egg binding, it is possible that excessive calcium can cause the shell gland to overproduce calcium and exacerbate the problem.

 

[casportpony]

A few days of extra calcium isn't going to hurt her if she laying soft-shelled eggs, but a stuck soft-shelled egg will kill her.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

True but they were on layer for 2 months before they ever needed to build an egg shell so they already had excessive calcium.
If one were to add extra calcium, they should also add phosphorus for a proper balance.

 

[casportpony]

I'm not saying that the calcium to phosphorus ratio is not important, it certainly is in *all animals*, but a 1-3 days of excess calcium will not be a problem for a chicken with egg laying problems.

-Kathy

 

[byouland]

I picked up some crushed oyster shells. I'll let you know how she does. Thank you