Is this normal??

[richje100]

ive got 4 hens which one of them is laying one a day. they are all approx 16-17wks old now.
ive noticed 2 eggs on the floor in the shed today which one was flat (crushed) but soft & another a small egg with like a cut across it & also soft. the regular egg i get is hard.
could this just be the rest of the hens ar estarting to lay & it will naturally correct it? they eat vegitation in the run with layer pellets & fresh water each day.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Do they get crushed egg shells?

 

[richje100]

no, i was going to pick up a bag of crushed oyster shells tomorrow but someone said i wouldnt need them yeat as the ground in the run has plenty of ruffage for them.
do you think i should get some? if i do, do i mix it withthe pellets or put a separet dish out/scatter on teh floor etc...

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

maybe they need more calcium
I have heard of other peoples hens laying shell-less eggs, but mine have not and I feed them plenty of egg shells

 

[BawkinOnTheBench]

Probably a normal start-up issue; it's not unusual for pullets coming into lay to have shellless eggs. But it would be a good idea to provide them with oyster shell for calcium - they need it for strong egg shells. Don't mix it with the feed - provide it separately, and they will eat what they need of it. If you mix it with the feed they will be more likely to scratch out and waste more feed when they don't want the oyster shell.

 

[deidreschultz]

At what point do you start with the oyster shells. Mine are 15 weeks, and I think maybe getting ready to start laying. My one hen's comb has grown and gotten red like over night. Should I go ahead and start on the shells or wait till they start laying. I believe the reason you can't feed layer feed till they're laying is it's higher in calcium. Which is dangerous for chicks. Am I right?

 

[richje100]

i started with the oyster shells yesterday & they all seemed to go at it as soon as i put the tub in.
today, ive had 2 eggs.
went there about 11:00am & one of them was sitting comfy in the nest with an egg on front of her so i took it incase they ate it (have seen them do this to the soft eggs).
went back there about 4hrs later & there was a perfectly shaped egg in the nest.
so today ive had 2 eggs. would the oyster shells be working that quick or do you think it just happened naturally?
on a different note, they still seem to poop in the nests. could this deter some hens from laying in there?

 

[007Dawn]

We give our girls crushed oyster shells like once a week in their food and that helps a lot. It is rather inexpensive as well because you don't need much so the bag will go a long way.

 

[apukanski]

I put some oyster shell in a bowl in the coop, they take it when they need it.