im worried our eggs are very hard shelled , so can eggs be to hard , & the chciks cant get out..??

[Diannastarr]

we have very hard shelled eggs...? I dont know why, not feeding any extra calcium or oyster shells..! at the moment , my hens are about 29 weeks old, and laying eggs for about a few months now, im planning to let a broody hen hatch a few chicks out this spring , but in the past i read some were on line that if the shells are to hard the chicks cant get out .....??

gosh...????

so can that really be true....????? does any one on BYC know if i should be worried about that being a real problem...?? golly that would be such a horrible problem...?

and to any one who knows , thank you for your help in advance...!!!!!!!!!! take care Dianna

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Your eggs are fine. Mine are pretty hard shelled as well, especially if you compare them to those from the grocery store. The last time I had to buy eggs, we decided to have breakfast for dinner that night. I took one of those store eggs and whacked it on the counter just like I would with mine, egg went everywhere!
My chicks hatch just fine from the eggs

 

[DaveOmak]

I feed roasted egg shells, oyster shells and granite grit to my chickens, along with Purina Layena... I have read that lack of calcium can cause problems... the chickens steal calcium from their bones etc. to make egg shells... They eat about as many roasted egg shells as they make eggs.... I fill the egg shell tube and when it gets empty, I refill it with egg shells we baked from their eggs... that way, I feel they stay healthy... no calcium loss from their system....

 

[Diannastarr]

O my goodness thank you , i have been soooo worried, and you have just relieved my mind , it would be a horrible thing indeed if chicks could not get out of their shells because the shells were to hard, Gosh

and since i read that on line a wile ago , I started to worry when i noticed all our eggs have become so very hard shelled ....lol.. and so i was even afraid to add more calcium into their diet, but we love egg salad & i had been giving them occasionally some of the egg & shell that gets stuck together after i hard boiled our fresh eggs & they dont peel very well....lol.... right

...lol... & the chickens love that, so i would crush it all up for them to eat, so i wont stop doing that now, I always had chickens in the past that hatch there own chicks & had never bought chicks from any were else, but this is my first time buying chicks at a feed store, in my entire life, & only after I could not find any unwanted hens, any were in AZ to give them a good home ..? and so it just worried me for the first time ever, when all our egg shells have become so hard lately , i began to worry ....lol.... so gosh thank you sooo much you have really helped me & made me stop worrying....lol.... and thats such a relief...!!!!

....lol..... golly ,

well I hope you have a great month & thanks again sooo much for your help kindest regards Dianna