Hen laying eggs with very thin shell???

Scoot58

In the Brooder
10 Years
Apr 24, 2009
42
2
32
Carver MA
Our RIR hen is about 2 years old. I took her in a few months ago and she has been laying very well. Lately I have noticed the shells getting thinner. Yesterday the egg was broken in the nest and the shell was paper thin. I have been feeding her grower feed because she is with my 10 week old chicks. They free range all day and are locked in coop at night.

I am wondering if she needs more calcium? If that is the case, what sound i give her?

Thanks.
 
Oyster shell. Supplement with yogurt or powdered milk for a while til her calcium levels get up. You should be able to offer it free choice, and she will eat it but the 10 week olds probably won't.
 
She really needs to be on layer feed, not grower. Layer feed has extra calcium in it and is good for laying chickens. It is not good for chicks, it's hard on their organs.
You can put a container of oyster shell in their run/coop area.
She can eat as much as she likes and it won't hurt the 10 weeks old chicks.
Good luck
smile.png
 
This seemed to happen to some of my hens this spring. They are two years old, and have been on Purina Layena since they were 20 weeks old. They have oyster shell available at all times. They have a large grassy yard where they can go during the day. They get treats of all kinds except meat and citrus fruit. They love cottage cheese and shredded cheese. I don't give too many treats because I want them to eat their feed.

Lately I've been finding broken eggs, thin shelled eggs, eggs with no shell at all (Yolk intact and looking like you just put it in a frying pan). They are not eating their eggs. I thought it was their age or just getting back into production after winter. I don't do artificial lighting in winter. From seven hens I am getting one to four eggs a day, sometimes none at all.

If anyone has a suggestion, I'd be glad to hear it.
 

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