How do I improve the quality of these eggs/shells?

[Odd Critter]

Irregular eggs are normal. It is a trade mark of each hen. Soft shells are a sign of poor calcium absorption.We all know this. I hit on this with a couple of sick chicks (be nice) that I treated with electrolytes, mash and heat.While looking for help I found a recipe, I wish I could find it again, for home made electrolyte drink for hot weather. I used store bought. The chicks didn't make it after a rebound but the rest of the electrolytes went to the flock on a hot day. They drank ALL of it. What eggs we had the next day! Huge, hard shelled, and grade AA, with dark yellow yokes. In all of my searching I found that baking soda helps aid in calcium absorption. I gave it to a sheep with heartburn and my hens went crazy over it. How much you ask right? I don't know for sure but it seem they know. Free range REALLY requires more grit (you'd think they could get their own without visiting the road). BTW I had a 5 year old hen who still laid nice eggs, small but nice.

 

[Egg Yolk]

I am 100% sure its not age. I have a 3 year old hen who lays the most perfect delicious eggs. All my other hens are over 1 year and my youngest is a year old. So yeah I have no idea what your problem is....

 

[aggiemae]

My wrinkled shell, brittle shell, soft shell, no shell egg problem continues. It's just one hen (buff Orp). I stopped treats except chard and kale and I just ran some oyster shell through the blender to make it smaller and mixed it with the layer... I'll offer them some baking soda.... We'll see what this next weeks brings.

 

[NativeBeauty]

Maybe it's time to worm your chickens? I just did for the first time to my three year old flock and I'm amazed by the difference in egg quality. I feed my grit and oyster shell as free choice, free range and feed a complete layer pellet....no more gritty shells, better shell coloring now too. Each flock member received a pea-sized amount of saf-gard equine wormer paste. I will repeat in ten days to be sure that the re-hatch has been cleared.

 

[LadyCluck77]

Where do you buy your medical supplies for your livestock? I have a local feed store and a TSC nearby. Thinking of keeping some antibiotics and wormers on hand in case of need. Also, what is a fair price to pay for those?
Sorry to be slightly off topic, but it may help the op as well.

 

[Keggen]

Maybe it's time to worm your chickens? I just did for the first time to my three year old flock and I'm amazed by the difference in egg quality. I feed my grit and oyster shell as free choice, free range and feed a complete layer pellet....no more gritty shells, better shell coloring now too. Each flock member received a pea-sized amount of saf-gard equine wormer paste. I will repeat in ten days to be sure that the re-hatch has been cleared.

How long do you have to throw out the eggs after they get wormed? Or better yet, can I cook up the eggs and feed them back to the chickens during the discard period?

 

[fiberdrunk]

I recently saw a documentary about Monsanto and GMO alfalfa and corn... this stuff is going into animal feeds, too. I wonder if these common egg problems can be attributed to GMOs (I had similar problems, which I posted in this thread quite some time ago). I also think vitamin D plays a vital role. My birds are mostly in shade.

Someone mentioned black sunflower seeds... do you feed those in the shell or out of the shell?

 

[trippy]

i can guarantee you that ALL commercial chicken food is made with monsantos evil corn and wheat and other grains..they have almost conquered thye farmers world...even organic fields of corn and straw and wheat,ETC are being pollinated by the evil monsanto... there is TONS of information online about monsanto products being fed to animals in small testings and animals having weird and sometimes fatal effects.. smal scale, organic feed is the only safe thing to feed you and your family and your animals if you want to live healthy. monsanto is not only funded by the government they have taken over the FDA and employees from monsanto now HEAD THE FDA..so of COURSE this gigantic corporation called monsanto is labelled safe by the FDA ..and there are thousands of farmers and chicken keepers who will stick by the side of commercial feeds because they see the FDA approving it as safe... look around online, my dear farming friends.. the only testing done of safety of the evil monsantos products are done by MONSANTO! eeeeks, its scary a bit when you see how in depth these guys have gotten.. the rabbit hole is deep but i keep smiling..i have faith that a few of us who care enough can turn this crap around and get back to the way it used to be..organic used to be the ONLY way before genetically modified franken foods hit the market.. keep smiling and have a nice day

ANNNND

we are the ones we've been waiting for!!!!!!

 

[imacreator]

I added 4 new hens to my flock, and one of them would drop her eggs under the roost, as the shell was so soft she probably couldn't tell she had laid it. I began adding my own calcium citrate capsules (broken open) to their water, and very quickly I saw improvement. When I learned that we're likely getting way too much calcium in our diet due to additives in much of our food, I gladly gave mine to the hens. The errant hen is now laying her eggs with much improved shells outside. Duh.

 

[haweshome]

Also look at the possibility that they are picking up grass or plant material thet might have been sprayed with a pesticide or an insecticide. Sounds more like that kind of a problem rather than just a lack of calcium. Many of us don't feed any extra calcium, just what we get in the manufactured feed and the birds do fine.