Hen only laying yoke 🤔

[Inell]

I have a 1 year old hen who suddenly started laying soft shell eggs and now only laying yokes.
I’ve added poultry cell to water, oyster shells always available, cracked corn always available, and she is on layer feed.
This has been going on for about 3 weeks
Combs and waddles nice and red, not broody and acting normal. I have no clue what is going on. Help??

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'd cut out the corn and focus on her eating the layer feed.

Get some Extra Calcium into her now, then once daily for a week. Give 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 tablet.

See that she's drinking well.

Has she been dewormed, any lice/mites?

 

[Inell]

No lice or mites and not dewormed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Agree with Wyorp Rock. If corn is always available, there is a good chance she is filling up on that (corn is chicken candy!) and not getting the balanced nutrition of her commercial feed, including the calcium in it, resulting in shell-less eggs.

 

[Inell]

They honestly haven’t touched it since winter. I haven’t even filled it up once.

 

[Inell]

I’ll try calcium and treat for worms!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

They honestly haven’t touched it since winter. I haven’t even filled it up once.

They won't, unless they're actively laying. So if they weren't laying through the winter theyy wouldn't touch it. And even when they do, they don't take much. I have 20 hens and I can barely see the level in their dish going down over several months.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I’ll try calcium and treat for worms!

That's what I would do. Obviously if they are laying soft-shell or shell-less eggs, they need a calcium boost, and the D3 helps their bodies absorb it. Just pop a tablet in their beak after they go to roost (rather than trying to chase them down and catch them during the day), they can swallow it easily.