Every 3rd or 4th egg has no shell

[heybarb]

My girls have just started laying (in the past 3 weeks). I have 3 that are laying - 1 brown egg, 2 white eggs. It's Max - the one that lays brown eggs - that seems to be having trouble. About every 3rd or 4th egg has no shell. She laid an egg yesterday morning, then last night when I checked to make sure everyone was in the coop, there was a shell-less egg on the coop floor. Today my other girls laid their white eggs, but no egg from Max. They are all eating DUMOR Layer crumble, have access to Oyster Shell, and have a variety snacks throughout the day. Is it that she's just new to laying and getting into the swing of things or could something be wrong?

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Give them oyster shells or something else to eat for calcium, I think

 

[Den in Penn]

Hope its just new to laying and will be fixed during the shake down. Frustrating to have new layers do that. But that's what it is to be a farmer.

 

[heybarb]

Yeah, I am not so worried about the lack of egg for us to eat, so much as if something might be "wrong" with her. She's my son's FAVORITE chicken. He carries her around and she seems to seek him out, so I think the feeling is mutual!

I will mix some oyster shell in their food too so maybe that will help. Thanks!!

 

[jecombs]

I have a BO that laid a shell-less egg yesterday... and then ate it before I figured out what it was! I'm offering oyster shell free-choice and I'm hoping it will work itself out, especially since they only started laying a week ago. It was funny because the egg was laid out in the chicken run, not in the coop like the rest of their eggs have been. I really do think it might slipped out without much warning and she might not have realized was what going on!

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

If they start eating eggs I think you put golf balls or something like that around their cage so they peck the golf balls and learn they can't.

 

[Happy Camper]

I had a hen lay a couple shell less eggs before... when she was moved to a quiter and bigger coop everything changed... ( I know she was stressed out by my dog and probably had some problems with her previous diet)

I also had a hen and a rooster who would eat the eggs everyday... I was sooooo annoyed by this! I tried the golf ball and removing them as soon as I saw any hen laying... and nothing seemed to work.

After some research I went for the roll and catch nesting method... I made a hole in the back of the nest, tilted it at an angle that would allow the eggs to roll and put a small basket to catch them... that solved the problem and they eventually forgot about their bad behavior...

Now I am just trying to get any of them to go broody :V

you know wishfull thinking...