Egg with no shell.

[d73]

So my 6 quail have layed about 60 eggs now. The other day one egg had no shell, just the membrane.
As my chickens are not laying yet I have not bought oyster shell for them yet. So unknowing I sent my wife to the feed store to buy some oyster shell for the quail. When I opened the bag I noticed how big it was. It really looked way too big for quail to eat. About the size of my pinky finger nail.
So what do you guys/gals use for calcium?

 

[JJMR794]

Look At Different Brands Of Oyster Shell--- I've Seen It From The Large Stuff You Have All The Way Down To A Rough Dust--- Depends On The Brand I Guess As I Have Seen No Rating System Advertised On The Bags As To What Size Grit It Is....

Also I Use (weekly) The Standard Vitamin And Electrolyte Mix To Water And Every Other Day I Suppliment With Vit C In The Water-


I Have And Still Occaisionally Get A Membrane Egg--- They Look Like A Leathery Ping Pong Ball....

 

[bigkford]

I put it in a hand chopper and crush it into small pieces. It only takes a couple of minutes at the most. I put in a small litter box instead of sand. I do this once a week and it is working out good.

 

[citalk2much]

The shell I get is bigger to I just pop it in the cheap little grinder I have it is like a coffee mill

 

[happyvalleyherbals]

I put a cuttlefish in with the quail and they devoured it. Is this high in calcium for them?

 

[Ironsun]

Hi,

I wouldn't be to worried about getting an egg with no shell on, it's very common in poultry and quails.

When I was in poultry collage, I asked the same question to Prof Steve Tullet (One of my tutors) and he said it's caused by a suddon fright or the bird has jumped to high. As the eggs passes through the body, if it jumps or gets a fright, the egg with the outer membraine can pass the shell gland very quickly and does not get covered in Calcium. It then passes straight out of the bird.

There is no need to give Oyster shell grit to your bird, they make their own calcium, this will unbalance their 'Calcium Phosphorous Ratio'

Ironsun

 

[dave3877]

well ive had a few of these happen (especially with my turkeys) never hurts to give them oyster shell but do give them a good mineral too. i personally tout the advantages of red cell brand. its a liquid and dissolves better in water than regular powder and is very palatable because it has a yucca flavor. i am one of those curious souls who had to try it and i got a drop of it once and its not that horrible lol. anyways its labeled for horses but it is safe on all animals and is all natural.

 

[monarc23]

I personally think it's a good idea to supply them with oyster shell or cuttle bone some sort of calcium when you see this egg issue.

However i had this issue in my A & M hens and it never resolved itself no matter how much calcium and protien I offered them. Every now and then they'd lay a thin shelled egg, but most were almost always just membrane which they'd then eat. So i had to cull teh whole A & M flock. I do not have this issue in my other coturnix varieties.

 

[Isablahblah]

do you have any pix of the eggs without a shell i just can't fathom how they must look!

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
basically an egg shaped rubbery feeling blob