Here we go again....

[Anna_MN]

Well I thought it was odd when my Gold Star laid a white egg, but now this. I just went out to the coop and one of my Rhode Island Red girls layed me a very soft shelled egg. It has some blood on it as well. I feel so discouraged and hope I am doing everything right for my girls

I love them all very much and don't want anything bad to happen to them. They get a well balanced laying hen feed, oyster shells, and some veggie and stale bread treats in small amounts about once a week. Please help if you know how I can fix this! ANY help would be greatly appreciated. Here is a picture of the egg-

 

[ChickenPeep]

Do you think it's possible that this is one of your hen's first eggs?

 

[Anna_MN]

No, my hens are a year and a half old and I get four eggs a day, every day. She has been laying since she was exactly 4 months old.

 

[nickie]

A soft shelled egg upon occasion is nothing to freak about, sometimes there is a kink in the works. If she's new to laying they ate pretty common then too. Most likely its nothing (I have a duck that drops an egg every single day until the snow flies and I get a softy out of her 3 or 6 times a year).

 

[Anna_MN]

Quote:
Thank you! This made me feel so much better!!!

 

[nurse_turtle]

I don't wanna worry you, but if it continues, sometimes when chickens have worms....
If it doesn't happen regularly, no worries.

 

[nickie]

You're welcome. Check and make sure they have plenty of oyster shell, and if you don't already do it, start offering their shells back to them. I have a couple girls that take egg over oyster any day and a few that want oyster over eggshell...

 

[Anna_MN]

Could this happen because of stress? It just occured to me that some wild animal came around and shredded up my hay bale that was outside of the coop and bedded down on it last night. It also tried digging into the run but lucky for me I buried the chicken wire 7 inches under the ground and attatched it to the sides so there is no way to get in. This morning when I opened up the girls's door they freaked out and wouldn't go outside.

 

[nickie]

Quote:
I have heard stress causes softies.

Nurseturtle does have a point too.