Hatching eggs and calcium deposits??

[spruce creek]

I have been trying to collect eggs for the last 4 days to hatch and have noticed both my hens have calcium deposits on their shells. Yesterday one egg had a lot of the little bumps on one side but none that were stuck to the shell(they wiped off)this is he only time I have ever noticed this with her eggs. Only one egg from the last 4 days has quite a few hard bumps on its large end and is also very pale? We had some awful weather and it is finally brightening up and getting warmer. So although they are free range they have been eating more of there layer food.The one hen is still not laying everyday and the other was hiding hers in the woods until I found the nest, she is back to laying in the coop now! Just wondering if I should wait on the hatch or go ahead and try them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally found my hens had more calcium deposits on their eggs when they were fed a layer ration. I believe it's from too much calcium. I now feed an All Flock with a separate bowl of oyster shells and I don't often seen any bumps anymore. I don't know if calcium bumps affect the hatch rate or not, but I wouldn't think so.

 

[spruce creek]

Thanks for the reply, I am going to collect for two more days then give them a try! I followed the directions on our incubator and what I had read online for humidity on our last hatch and am pretty sure the humidity was too high. So hoping for a better hatch this time around.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have an incubator but haven't used it. I use my broody bantams. Incubators seem so complicated. I did read about running it without any water called dry incubating. It can depend on you normal air humidity. Wishing you luck, hopefully you get lots of peeping chick.

 

[spruce creek]

Thanks! I had 2 eggs with chirps and they didn't make it, it was pretty heartbreaking. I am trying the dry incubation method this time around as we have an excess of humidity here!