How to "offer" oyster shell

[Lisa-Lu]

they shouldn't be stressed anymore at this point, they love their yard and coop and they free range every day and dust bathe and play and kick up and scratch. They seem pretty happy.

New layers, then, and are still just working out the kinks in production. Theye are a lot of "moving parts" involved in building an egg, the shell gland just isnt quite getting the job done consistently yet

That is what I am hoping, one of them lays a weird shaped egg when she lays a hard shell, that has rings and bumps of all sorts on it.

I will back off on the bread crumbs and keep the oyster shell out there, hopefully things will come together soon.

 

[Firefoot]

they shouldn't be stressed anymore at this point, they love their yard and coop and they free range every day and dust bathe and play and kick up and scratch. They seem pretty happy.


That is what I am hoping, one of them lays a weird shaped egg when she lays a hard shell, that has rings and bumps of all sorts on it.

I will back off on the bread crumbs and keep the oyster shell out there, hopefully things will come together soon.

They sound super happy! They are just figuring out laying.

I'm not sure what's available where you get your feed, but I've had good luck with Nutrena HeartyHen. Nutrena also makes an All-Flock 18%. Both feeds are a pellet, which is typically less wasteful, but you will have to mix old and new feed at first so they get used to eating a pellet if they are now eating a crumble. The HeartyHen has layer-levels of calcium in it, the All-Flock does not but would be appropriate to feed with the OS supplemented.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

Oh I have both of those available in my area. So if I got the hearty hen, do I still offer the OS, or is there such a thing as too much calcium?

 

[Firefoot]

Oh I have both of those available in my area. So if I got the hearty hen, do I still offer the OS, or is there such a thing as too much calcium?

The hens are pretty good at eating what they need. I feed the HH but still offer OS/egg shells. So, while they can have too much calcium, if you switch to the HH I'd still let them have the option of more calcium, especially as they are new layers.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

The hens are pretty good at eating what they need. I feed the HH but still offer OS/egg shells. So, while they can have too much calcium, if you switch to the HH I'd still let them have the option of more calcium, especially as they are new layers.

Sounds good, will do. Going to RK this evening and still have enough of their current feed left to mix with it to get them used to the pellet.

 

[wyoDreamer]

They will only eat what they need of the oyster shell. Even if you feed a layer feed, which has calcium added, I believe you should offer oyster shell as free choice.

In my first batch of chickens, I had one chicken who laid a thin shelled egg. I always knew when the oyster shell container was empty because the eggshell would crack really easy - sometimes just by picking it up.

My hens barely touched the oyster shell all winter - they get layer feed so they probably didn't need it - all of a sudden, they ate most of the container that I had out there. Now they are laying big beautiful eggs with hard shells, 5 eggs for 6 layers every day. This winter the eggs were not as often - about 6 a week total.

 

[m1chelle1]

New layers, then, and are still just working out the kinks in production. Theye are a lot of "moving parts" involved in building an egg, the shell gland just isnt quite getting the job done consistently yet

this was what i was going to say, but you beat me to it

Brand new layers have a tendency to lay soft shells on occasion whence just starting out. Its perfectly normal, assuming feed and care is optimal

 

[Lisa-Lu]

This morning one of them laid on the poop board. I got a pic of it to show you all. Does this just look like soft shell problems?

There was another blob of one in a nesting box as well, so it seems like they are trying hard, just not there yet.

 

[aart]

This morning one of them laid on the poop board. I got a pic of it to show you all. Does this just look like soft shell problems?View attachment 1711194

There was another blob of one in a nesting box as well, so it seems like they are trying hard, just not there yet.

If they've just begun laying, softies are not too unusual....give it time.