Help.. One of my hens layed a soft shelled egg, what's up?

[bsee4u]

I got an egg this morning that feels like a little water balloon? It actually is a jumbo size egg, but it has a soft covering. I have 5 hens, they started laying back in October of 2010, so they are still young. Anybody out there that knows why this type of egg can be laid and how to remedy the problem? Thanks in advance.

 

[MuranoFarms]

It happens from time to time. Make sure they have oyster shell available so it doesn't happen often though.

 

[chickhopeful12]

x2

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it is a one off, don't sweat it. If it becomes a habit, yeah, you need to do something.

If your eggs are usually hard shelled, it is not a problem of how much calcium they are getting. If it is only one hen doing it, it is not a case of how much calcium they are getting. If this is common to several hens, then it could be calcium.

I'll give you a link that discusses it and gives you various reasons. My guess is that she started a second egg yolk through her internal laying factory too soon after the first and the shell gland did not have time to get enough shell material ready for the second egg. She may have laid two eggs that day, a regular shelled one and a soft one. It could be something else though so here is the link. Look under shell defects.

Egg Quality Handbook
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

 

[bsee4u]

Thanks for the reply, I have one hen with a hurt leg and I have been putting spinach and a little leftovers in the coop because she would always hesitate to come out. I don't think she has been eating much of the "laying" pellets that are outside the coop, this sounds like the root cause. I mix oyster shell and their own eggshells crushed in with the pellets that the others are eating. I have an eglu cube, so the stairs down are not the best design in the world. I guess I will build a ramp for her to make it easier for her to come out and eat the pellets.

 

[AKsmama]

Personally, I wouldn't mix the oyster shell in with the feed. If you feed it free choice in its own container, your hens will take what they need. Their bodies will regulate what they take in.

 

[Rkhan]

Hello
I have the same problem with one of my chickens . This is the fourth or fifth egg in a row that’s soft. They have access to it eater shell. So I need to give her extra calcium as an emergency aid? I don’t have Tums, could I give her calcium supplement which is 600mg per tablet?