egg with no shell??? yikes!

[Miss Kitty]

This is my problem now. I have one hen just like you guys who is producing an egg without a shell...just a membrane covered yolk. Now, if I go to the feed store do I buy granite in a bag and just throw some out in the yard for them to eat? All three hens are free range. Also, should I buy a bag of calcium enriched scratch feed?? Yes that hen is only a year old but she was laying perfectly fine for afew months and now she has those defunk eggs with no shell. Go figure. Tell me should I do this throw granite out in the yard and is there a certain type of calcium feed I need. Thanks everyone for your insightful help.
Miss Kitty

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
If your chickens are free ranging, chances are excellent that they are finding their own grit (granite), so I wouldn't worry about that. Sounds like what your hen needs is some calcium supplement, usually sold in the feed stores as oyster shell.
Offer the oyster shell in a seperate small feeder, bowl, etc. I actually just pour a pile of it under the overhang of an outbuilding, which protects it from getting washed away in the rain. My hens know it's there and they take what they need. My layer feed has calcium in it, but I find the eggshells are stronger with the oyster shell being offered free choice.
There are other reasons for soft shelled eggs other than lack of calcium, but I think the calcium deficency is the most common one. Some of the other reasons for soft shelled eggs are listed here:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

 

[thepetpaw]

i HAD ONE THAT DID THAT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO....IT WAS SO WEIRD....AT FIRST i didnt know what it was inside the nest then I saw it was the inside of the egg but missing the shell....it was kinda creepuy