Ghost Egg

[isavedchickens]

Hello, I recently rescued a few ex-battery (free range) hens. They are two years old, and have settled into the garden well. One of the girls doesn't lay an egg every day, she lays a good GIANT egg every three-four days, but inbetween that time she sometimes lays soft shell eggs. They have grit and oyster shell in a plant pot dug into the ground with a bit of mixed corn in it. Is there anything I can do to harden up just her shells? Or is she coming to end of laying? Cleaning up messed up egg is pretty gross. Thanks.

 

[Roosterlover5]

Congrats on rescuing those poor battery hens!

my hen lays soft shelled eggs too sometimes.Don't know why though sorry.

 

[isavedchickens]

They are brilliant, really enjoying them-much better than a rabbit or other garden pet!! I just don't know why this chicken keeps laying funky eggs, or what I could do to help.

 

[LindaCT]

Aww that is so sweet! They might not like the other grit if they are not used to it. They are probably just used to eating laying pellets. Do you feed their eggshells back to them? I smash them up into tiny bits and put them where the hens can eat them if they want to. I have seen them literally eat it like food.

 

[Den in Penn]

A boost of vitamin D may help. But yes she maybe coming to the end of her laying days.

 

[RedStarLady1207]

So nice of you to rescue the battery hens. I've gotten some soft shells eggs lately but I have new pullets. I hope this changes as it cannot be a sign of old age in a pullet. The layer crumble has 16% protein and is supposed to have enough calcium in it. I could add calcium but the directions on the feed bag says not to do that because there is enough and too much calcium could cause liver damage. I've read lots here on this forum chickens only eat what they need, but I've seen my hens stuff themselves way to much one time when there feed got rain on it. It gave them huge poops and then a soft egg followed. Then I thought maybe they were getting too much greenery (mostly clover) as one had loose, green poop, and then she laid two eggs, both soft, that were connected.

One time I gave them cooked egg, chopped small and they loved that. They seem to be craving protein items as they go crazy if I give them a mix of protein things (chopped turkey, cottage cheese, meal worms, egg, and a light sprinkle of powdered calcium (even though my feed instructions said not to - but it is a tiny amount). Today they mostly just had their crumbles since I had the huge poop - soft egg - green poop issues yesterday. More normal stools today, but no eggs. I'll see what tomorrow brings. Two of them should lay tomorrow - they are due. The 3rd chicken (Rita) is not yet old enough.

I read you can eat the soft eggs if they are intact but so far I've tossed all but one of them. That one I cooked and fed back to the chickens (in which my sister promptly called them cannibals). Geez!

 

[isavedchickens]

Oh dear, that is the only thing that has suprised me about chickens...how much they poop! I have added more oyster shell mixed with a little corn to encourage her to eat at it, and she spent half an hour pecking away there today. They are eating the same food, or same type of food as on the farm, they are on layers mash. She was the most run down bird of the ones we rescued, she was missing the most feathers so we weren't worried about her laying at first as she needed to recover. She is now full of feathers, and probably the fattest of them now...but still her eggs aren't always good.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

If the hens free range or get a lot of treats in addition to their commercial feed, that may reduce the protein and calcium they are actually getting.