Help: soft shell eggs - I think I may have made things worse!

[SDOH]

Hello, I have five pullets - that are 25 weeks old. One started laying regularly about two months ago. The second one to start laying laid about 3-5 normal eggs, then one came out with white flecks on it. Ever since, for the past week, she's been laying soft shell eggs - they have a very thin membrane one them with a paper thin shell. One day, she laid two of them in the same nest box on the same day. I have a Ring video cam in the coop so I can tell that it is Sunny (the second layer) who is one of the two buff orpington. They all eat Nutrena for layers w/16% protein. I started Sunny on a daily calcium supplement two days ago thinking that she has a deficiency. I checked her vent and I suppose it looks ok (I have no idea what I am doing). Last night, we gave her a liquid calcium supplement and I checked her vent and I could see little flecks of what looked like white egg shell (though hers are brown) and some dried whitish streaks. I cleaned her up and put her back in the coop. I think the supplement caused major diarrhea because I could see her standing on the roost, hunched over - tail down squirting liquid. She ended up in the nest box sleeping so I took her out and brought her in the house. I was afraid she would become dehydrated so I gave her water with probiotics and food. She is eating and drinking fine. In fact, she may be drinking more water than usual. I checked her vent again today - but honestly, I do not know what I am looking at or for. Any thoughts and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, in the nicest way possible, I am saying, just leave her alone. Put her back in the flock.

The truth of the matter is that thin shell eggs, or no shell eggs ARE NORMAL. Especially when hens first start laying. Double yolks are normal too. And speckles on the shell are normal too. Meat spots are normal.

One of the problems if you are new to chickens and your own eggs, is that most people have had store bought eggs and think those are normal, well they are - but they are highly sorted. They don't throw the less than perfect eggs away - they sell them to companies that need eggs to make their products.

I use to worry about soft shell eggs, until an old time told me, they tend to get over it in a week if you treat them, or it will take 7 days if you don't do anything.

A problem on this forum, is people post about being egg bound, and other laying issues that need human intervention. The unusual, but because people post from all over, it can look like these are very common issues and need human help. Mostly they don't.

In new layers, layers that have been laying for less than 2-4 months - there are a lot of glitches in the very complex system. That is normal.

Mrs K

 

[SDOH]

Really, in the nicest way possible, I am saying, just leave her alone. Put her back in the flock.

The truth of the matter is that thin shell eggs, or no shell eggs ARE NORMAL. Especially when hens first start laying. Double yolks are normal too. And speckles on the shell are normal too. Meat spots are normal.

One of the problems if you are new to chickens and your own eggs, is that most people have had store bought eggs and think those are normal, well they are - but they are highly sorted. They don't throw the less than perfect eggs away - they sell them to companies that need eggs to make their products.

I use to worry about soft shell eggs, until an old time told me, they tend to get over it in a week if you treat them, or it will take 7 days if you don't do anything.

A problem on this forum, is people post about being egg bound, and other laying issues that need human intervention. The unusual, but because people post from all over, it can look like these are very common issues and need human help. Mostly they don't.

In new layers, layers that have been laying for less than 2-4 months - there are a lot of glitches in the very complex system. That is normal.

Mrs K

No need to frame your message as being in the nicest way possible... I genuinely appreciate your being frank and the information. It is quite likely that I was looking for a problem where there was not one and have only found guidance that included human intervention. I am relieved to know that, in this case, it is ok to step aside and nature take its course.

On a related note, the chickens have managed to eat three out of the five soft shell eggs. The three that they have eaten appear to have been laid on the coop floor. This morning, Sunny also ate parts of the one she laid this morning. Is this also normal? If it is, I am fine with it - just trying to learn more about keeping chickens.

 

[Debbie292d]

No need to frame your message as being in the nicest way possible... I genuinely appreciate your being frank and the information. It is quite likely that I was looking for a problem where there was not one and have only found guidance that included human intervention. I am relieved to know that, in this case, it is ok to step aside and nature take its course.

On a related note, the chickens have managed to eat three out of the five soft shell eggs. The three that they have eaten appear to have been laid on the coop floor. This morning, Sunny also ate parts of the one she laid this morning. Is this also normal? If it is, I am fine with it - just trying to learn more about keeping chickens.

I raise/breed silkies and every time the pullets start laying I may get a soft shell/no shell egg or two. Even from one of my old bats I got one a couple of months ago. That one left hers in the yard, and she's six years old! They have oyster shell and free range so get plenty of calcium. It was a once-and-done thing. The old rooster came along, and that's what got me to see it. He was flinging it in the air for the others to all come get a bite. I have no issues with egg eaters other than that fiasco!

 

[SDOH]

I raise/breed silkies and every time the pullets start laying I may get a soft shell/no shell egg or two. Even from one of my old bats I got one a couple of months ago. That one left hers in the yard, and she's six years old! They have oyster shell and free range so get plenty of calcium. It was a once-and-done thing. The old rooster came along, and that's what got me to see it. He was flinging it in the air for the others to all come get a bite. I have no issues with egg eaters other than that fiasco!

Thank you. Your comment about the rooster made me laugh out loud. I could only imagine! LOL!

I will gladly stop worrying so much and simply let them be chickens.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yep, that is pretty normal too. Mostly, when a hen lays a solid egg, they never look back. I have even found perfectly intact soft-shell eggs in the nest, that broke in my hand, as I tried to get them out.

Sometimes you will get an egg with a puncture in it. Which of course I worried about the egg eating thing...until someone pointed out, that if there are a couple of eggs in the nest, and another layer steps in, her toe can puncture an egg.

So this is my rule of thumb, take it if you want. If my chickens are active, eating, bright eyed and laying...there is nothing wrong with them.

Enjoy watching them.

Mrs K

 

[SDOH]

Yep, that is pretty normal too. Mostly, when a hen lays a solid egg, they never look back. I have even found perfectly intact soft-shell eggs in the nest, that broke in my hand, as I tried to get them out.

Sometimes you will get an egg with a puncture in it. Which of course I worried about the egg eating thing...until someone pointed out, that if there are a couple of eggs in the nest, and another layer steps in, her toe can puncture an egg.

So this is my rule of thumb, take it if you want. If my chickens are active, eating, bright eyed and laying...there is nothing wrong with them.

Enjoy watching them.

Mrs K

Fantastic! Thank you so much for your help.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sometimes you will get an egg with a puncture in it. Which of course I worried about the egg eating thing...until someone pointed out, that if there are a couple of eggs in the nest, and another layer steps in, her toe can puncture an egg.

Well that solves that mystery! Thanks!

So this is my rule of thumb, take it if you want. If my chickens are active, eating, bright eyed and laying...there is nothing wrong with them.

I have just decided to try to be as pragmatic as you!