egg with no shell??? yikes!

[1911 Backyard Homestead]

i have young hens, im pretty sure only one of them is laying and the other two i think are trying
this morning i found a wierd egg with a very thin shell, and then a couple hours later there was just a yolk with no shell!

and advice on this situation, these are my first backyard hens

samm

 

[Schultz]

This does happen with young layers but should stop or be infrequent. However, if they are not getting enough calcium in their diet (oyster shell) it could also be the reason for the eggs you found. You may want to give them access to oyster shell or crushed granite.

 

[basicliving]

Hi Samm -

!!!

Soft shells are not all that uncommon in new layers - and even shell-less eggs will occasionally happen. Definitely make sure you provide oyster shell 24/7 for them - and feed them back the shells of the eggs you eat.

One thing I want to mention is to check the vents of your girls. I have had a few that will lay a shell less egg, but the actual soft shell is stuck in their vents. If that happens, you will need to gently tug at it - as you tug they will "push". Just tug with the pushes and make sure you get it out. I have had a couple that the soft shell actually got glued inside them as the egg portion dried. This can clog their vent and you can lose the pullet.

Don't mean to scare you - just something I would check for if I were you.

Penny

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I just want to mention that oyster shell and crushed granite are totaly different. The oyster shell provides calcium, needed for the egg shell. The crushed granite is grit, which is used in the gizzard to grind up their food and things like oyster shell. Crushed granite will not supply calcium.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I just want to mention that oyster shell and crushed granite are totaly different. The oyster shell provides calcium, needed for the egg shell. The crushed granite is grit, which is used in the gizzard to grind up their food and things like oyster shell. Crushed granite will not supply calcium.

I agree.

 

[Schultz]

Quote:
I just want to mention that oyster shell and crushed granite are totaly different. The oyster shell provides calcium, needed for the egg shell. The crushed granite is grit, which is used in the gizzard to grind up their food and things like oyster shell. Crushed granite will not supply calcium.

I agree.

Thank you for that info. Several people told me it was the same. We use feed fortified with calcium so we have never had a problem except with one hen and it was just because she was real young.

 

[1911 Backyard Homestead]

thanks for helping everyone...
im pretty sure they get their grit intake from our sand/gravel driveway and the dirt and rocks and things

but i haven't bought them any oyster shell anything.
we are trying to be very low budget and all natural as possible
if we just feed them back their eggshells is that sufficient enough for calcium??

samm

 

[Debi214]

My youngest ladies are just starting to lay and they have been doing the soft-shell or shell-less eggs here lately but it has been because they don't want to lay in the other nests so they hold the eggs in and once the eggs touch (from holding the egg inside) the shell won't mineralize. I have since put golf balls in the nests and they are now starting to lay. Whew!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
It depends. Chickens get calcium from bugs with hard shells. If you live in limestone country, they do get some from the rocks they use as grit. I'm not sure what other natural sources they have. It may be worthwhile getting them some oyster shell and offering it to them free choice. If your problems clear up, then stop the oyster shell and see if it recurs. Or you can just wait a couple of weeks and see if it clears up on its own. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that it is due to the hens just starting to lay and will clear up on its own if you are free-ranging them. If another hen starts laying and has the same problem, I'd start thinking real hard about some supplemental calcium.

Chickens survived without supplemental calcium for centuries when free-ranging. It's when we start keeping them in pens and away from their natural foods that we have to supplement. Just my uninformed opinion.

 

[cmom]

I provide a dish of free choice oyster shell 24/7 to my girls. When they first started laying I did get a couple of soft shells. I also have a dish of free choice dish of granite grit. I know they eat dirt too but it is not as good for grinding up their food as granite grit is.

A chicken's food goes, as is, into the crop, where it is slowly funneled into a very small " stomach" for some digestive additives--then to the Gizzard, where it is 'chewed', that is, ground into material that can be digested as it moves into the intestines and so on. The Gizzard is best able to break down whole grains and other chunky bits that they eat when full of grit. Longest lasting grit is Granite, that lasts well. All other rock and stone is so much softer, that it wears down fast and that is why granite grit is best choice, works really well for best utilization of feeds.