eggs not forming

[jason barnes]

hi
i have achicken about 1 year old and her eggs are not forming very strong so they breck as you pick them up,she somtimes seem to lay them at night on her perch as well ,she is feed a layer pellet and has access to oyster shell but does not seem to use the oysrter sheell,i have three other chickens that are okay laying
any ideas please

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC!

What breed is your hen who is having the issues? Is she laying an egg with a very thin brittle shell or an egg that is more in the "shell-less" category where it's just the tough membrane but not an actual hard shell?

 

[N F C]

This article in the Learning Center may help you figure out what's happening with your girl:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems

Sorry to hear things are working quite right with her, hope you find some answers.

 

[jason barnes]

shes hy line brown ,yes membrane or somtimes realy soft egg usally broken a bit or torn

 

[drumstick diva]

I think some hens are not able to assimilate the calcium in their diet.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, jason barnes, and

! Great to have you aboard! Hope you find the answers to your egg shell issues. Best wishes and thanks for joining us!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Jason

Welcome!

I too hope that you are able to work out what is going on with your hen.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends

 

[whoop whoop]

@jason barnes Welcome to BYC I have exactly the same problem, one of my hens does it all the time. I have tried everything, finally come down to the fact that she is defective -I think some chooks just are 'unhelpable' if there is such a word.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I think some hens are not able to assimilate the calcium in their diet.

Which may point to a Vitamin D deficiency as that is key in the effective absorption of calcium. Even if the overall diet *should* be sufficient based on the nutritional balance of the feed being used, individual birds in a flock can suffer deficiency and boosting the overall availability of those nutrients showing signs of being lacking can help. Offering other dietary options, treats, etc that are rich in the potentially deficient components is a great way to experiment in whether there is an issue....and have the added benefit of being more easily spread among flock members if potential feed access restriction is at play in why only certain birds are showing signs of being malnourished.

 

[whoop whoop]

Which may point to a Vitamin D deficiency as that is key in the effective absorption of calcium. Even if the overall diet *should* be sufficient based on the nutritional balance of the feed being used, individual birds in a flock can suffer deficiency and boosting the overall availability of those nutrients showing signs of being lacking can help. Offering other dietary options, treats, etc that are rich in the potentially deficient components is a great way to experiment in whether there is an issue....and have the added benefit of being more easily spread among flock members if potential feed access restriction is at play in why only certain birds are showing signs of being malnourished.

That is true but my chooks have so much vit d, the sun is shining day in day out, she simply cannot make a proper egg. I don't think my guys are undernourished they are wormed and 'fat or round' I should say. I put calcium in the water they have paw paw, fresh worms, mixed feed,almonds,corn,sesame seeds, peppers,okra fresh meilies, parsley rocket and access to my whole garden. I have given up I just think she has a problem and the vet agrees he is stumped as well. - I think DD is right she just cannot absorb calcium. Thank you for your guided input though.