First Eggs! ohhh, well darn.

[Citychick42]

2 of my 5 blrw have just started laying and we got 3 healthy eggs out of them.

Then I went on a overnight trip with my class. When i got home there were 2 soft shelled eggs waiting in their coop. These weren't just soft, they were clear and felt like water balloons.

I threw these out. All of my chickens have been on layer food for about a week or two. I havent gotten any other eggs out of them yet. I dont know really what to do now. Im going to get oyster shells tonight. Is there anything else i should do?

 

[gryeyes]

Well, the crushed oyster shell will help - be sure to leave it out free choice, don't mix it with the feed.

However, sometimes there are just Ooops eggs with new layers. Their egg-construction parts aren't all up to operating speed and efficiency yet. The shell is the last thing to be constructed, and it takes the majority of the time: 20 to 21 hours of the 26 hours it takes to make an egg.

Think of an assembly line - if one operation is a bit out of whack or off schedule, the final product isn't quite what it should be. And this happens with brand new "assembly lines."

 

[Citychick42]

Thanks! Just asking, why shouldn't i mix it in with the food? I got my chickens when they were pullets and they were never given treats so they're a little scared of anything different. They wont even eat lettuce or grapes!

 

[drumstick diva]

If you mix it in with the food, they may decide not to eat period.

 

[Citychick42]

that wouldnt be good, thanks for telling me!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I had one that was laying cracked eggs, "water balloon" eggs, and thin shelled eggs without color (she's a green egg layer). I thought she had it all sorted out as she was laying great eggs more recently, but this morning, there was a cracked open, thin shelled, colorless egg on the poop board. Some of them, it just take a while I guess.
I do offer oyster shell free choice, but I also rinse and save their egg shells, bake and crush them and mix them with the oyster shell. They seem to pick these pieces out first.