I was wondering why one of the hens egg shells is thin?

[Lois from KY]

We have around 38 - 39 young hens. (They're 17 months old) We started them out on Naturwise chick start and when they got old enough we switched them to the Naturwise layer pellets.(Right now we're giving them "feather fixer" from naturwise) It seems to be a really good food. Plus they are allowed to roam every afternoon to forage. We also have oyster shell grit that they have access to anytime they want it. But one of the hens is laying a nice big egg but the shell is thin. Sometimes if I don't get it quick enough one of the other hens will crush it. I was wondering if extra calcium might help? Any advice??? Oh and we do feed their egg shells back to them.

 

[junebuggena]

The oyster shell is already extra calcium. Worms can sometimes affect the shell quality. Have you wormed them? Also, some hens just don't lay eggs with strong shells.

 

[Lois from KY]

Yes we give them diatomaceous earth about every 6 weeks or so. We live in an area that is plaqued with worms.

 

[aart]

DE will not take care of an internal worm infestation.
A fecal exam by a vet should tell you if they have an excessive worm load, what kind of worms and what can be used to treat it.

At 17 months they may be close to molting, egg production can get funky as it tapers down prior to molting.

If it's not a pending molt and only one hen has thin shells,
it could be that she just doesn't process the calcium efficiently due to some genetic defect.

 

[Folly's place]

x2. Also, the oyster shell and layer feed should be fine for them, but egg shells fed to high producing hens don't provide the calcium needed for shell production. The egg shells dissolve in her gut too fast, and aren't available in the early morning when she's laying down the shell. Oyster shell dissolves slower, and is available then. There's research to back up this info. Mary

 

[Lois from KY]

Yes they're all molting right now. And it is just one hen that's giving us thin shells on her eggs. I am sorry but I have to disagree with you on the DE and digestive tract worms. We've been using it for a while now and I have done a lot of research and from what I've read it will take care of any digestive tract worms. None of our chickens show any signs of worms. Their stools are perfect and their weight is exactly where it needs to be. Please don't take this the wrong way and I do appreciate your info. I appreciate any advice that is given.

 

[aart]

Yes they're all molting right now. And it is just one hen that's giving us thin shells on her eggs. I am sorry but I have to disagree with you on the DE and digestive tract worms. We've been using it for a while now and I have done a lot of research and from what I've read it will take care of any digestive tract worms. None of our chickens show any signs of worms. Their stools are perfect and their weight is exactly where it needs to be. Please don't take this the wrong way and I do appreciate your info. I appreciate any advice that is given.

I've read it in many places too....doesn't mean its true.
Only round and tape worms will show up in stools, the rest are microscopic.

 

[rides2far]

Aart, good point. This is not a chicken story, but it applies. A very close friend had a great endurance horse about 18 years of age. Given that the horse was on dry pasture, was an older horse, & California does not have the sheer # of worms found in moister hotter climates, she decided not to worm her horses. For 2 years she didn't worm, she had fecal counts done every 6 months. Long story short, a week after a 50 mile ride, her mare presented as a severe colic. She had to be put down & after a necropsy, it was found she a huge load of worms that broke loose, caused a blockage & death of intestional tissue & died. Most worms are microscopic & can't be seen. Everything can appear fine until too late. I have 14 pullets who haven't been wormed yet, they are just 5 months old, but I will be worming them this spring. I'll probably go back & worm them using casportpony' s method. (Yes, Kathy, I'm a lurker on your posts!).

 

[Folly's place]

I'd love to see actual scientific trials, published in peer reviewed journals, at universities, showing that DE does anything against intestinal parasites. The only information I have found, talked about it having some (limited) effectiveness in dry dust baths to reduce external parasite infestations in chickens. Hearsay is just that; hearsay. mary