Hen in need of calcium?

[Cheerful]

Not sure if this should go here but here goes:
I have a 3 year old Buff Orpington who has been laying very thin shelled eggs. At first I thought she had just started breaking them to eat them but now I see that they are so thin some are breaking just when she lays them. She has played every day now, for the past 4 days, but they are all paper thin, breaking in the nesting box, making a mess, obviously. (she is really just ramping up since the winter, when her laying was sporadic)
The hens are on a good organic laying mash, and they are free range. I give them crushed egg-shells for calcium and all the other hens have great shells. Is Buffy's problem her age? Is it possible she could be low on calcium even when others are fine? Do you think there is anything I can give her to help? She's obviously still got eggs to lay, but laying thin shelled is worse than laying nothing, because of the mess, and the danger of getting hens eating eggs - so we may have to cull her. I guess I'm hoping there is some kind of intense calcium diet I can feed her that would miraculously make things better.....but of course I know that's unlikely. I also don't have any idea how long in takes for calcium to be absorbed and benefit her. Would love to hear any thoughts.
Thanks!

 

[Blackberry18]

Not sure if this should go here but here goes:
I have a 3 year old Buff Orpington who has been laying very thin shelled eggs. At first I thought she had just started breaking them to eat them but now I see that they are so thin some are breaking just when she lays them. She has played every day now, for the past 4 days, but they are all paper thin, breaking in the nesting box, making a mess, obviously. (she is really just ramping up since the winter, when her laying was sporadic)
The hens are on a good organic laying mash, and they are free range. I give them crushed egg-shells for calcium and all the other hens have great shells. Is Buffy's problem her age? Is it possible she could be low on calcium even when others are fine? Do you think there is anything I can give her to help? She's obviously still got eggs to lay, but laying thin shelled is worse than laying nothing, because of the mess, and the danger of getting hens eating eggs - so we may have to cull her. I guess I'm hoping there is some kind of intense calcium diet I can feed her that would miraculously make things better.....but of course I know that's unlikely. I also don't have any idea how long in takes for calcium to be absorbed and benefit her. Would love to hear any thoughts.
Thanks!

It's possible that she isn't eating the eggshells. I'd try mixing in grit and oyster shells into their feed, if those are not given the hen, soft-shelled eggs can be one of the symptoms. Make sure that the feed contains 16%-18% protein, 3% calcium, and .5% phosphorus. A hen mobilizes 47% of her body calcium from her diet and medullary bones, so it's very important they get enough calcium.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Offer Oyster Shell on the side ... for sure do not mix it into the feed. You do not want to force feed calcium as that induces gout, which can be fatal. The hen will balance her calcium appetite on her own. She will instinctively pick up what calcium she needs later in the day so her body can process it at night. The size of the chunks of oyster shell is also relevant.

I've noticed my older hens lay larger eggs than when they were pullets, but I've read the larger eggs have about the same amount of shell material stretched over the surface so the shells get thinner. But if the shell is too thin it can mean there is another problem. Lots of info online about what kinds of health issues with the birds produce what kind of evidence in an egg shell.

 

[Folly's place]

Egg shells do not provide good laying hens with adequate calcium; it is eaten during the day, and depleted by the time the shell is forming in the hen overnight. Feed oyster shell on the side always, and egg shells if you want, but never only egg shell. Mary