Laying thin shelled eggs

[mustangsaguaro]

I have a RIR hen that at the beginning of this year just started laying. I got her in Dec and she was about 6-7 months and roughly started laying eggs about 4 weeks after I got her. In the beginning when she started laying her eggs were normal (meaning egg shell thickness). Now she is laying very thin shelled eggs. All my birds do get free choice oyster shell along w/ their regular feed. What would cause her to lay thin shelled eggs. There is one hen I have that has laid this year 3 double yolkers, not sure if it is this hen that is laying the thin shelled eggs, but I think it is. What would cause thin shelled eggs? They are fed and organic feed, and I have no other hens (have 13 total) and none of them are laying thin shelled eggs. So not sure it would be their diet since I am not having problems w/ thin shelled eggs w/ anyone else. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kim

 

[raroo]

It's probably a calcium deficiency, it could be that she doesn't like the oyster. One of my gals won't eat oyster or crushed eggshells and was laying thin shelled eggs until I bought a multi vitamin supplement that contains calcium. Now her eggs are fine.
I've read that some hens prefer crushed eggshells over oyster, you could try offering that as well to see if it helps!

 

[Stonerowfarm]

I was just looking around for an answer to the same question. Mine is a leghorn who is about two years old. Her eggs have gotten more and more thin-shelled and most don't make it out of the nests. The black stars have no problems, just her. They all eat the same things, layer crumples, fresh veggies, black oil seed and occasionally browse. They have oyster shell plus the little pebbles and things they find in the yard.

If you give vitamins, do you give it to all the hens, like in their water or somehow try to treat just the thin-shelled hens?

 

[raroo]

You can give vitamins to all the hens, it won't harm them, the ones I bought are water soluble from the Co-op store in the poultry section.
"Vetoquinol brand Poly-Tonine A Complex water soluble premix of vitamins for Pullets, Laying hens, Broilers and Turkeys as an aid in the prevention of vitamin deficiencies".
Not sure if they sell that brand in the US but there would be something similar.

 

[LilbitChicken]

GREAT INFO! Thank you for posting.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

My Black Australorp laid her first paper thin shelled egg yesterday. The shell was so thin that it would dent when I picked it up, but the membrane and everything else about it was normal. The coloring was weird too. I had just moved her to a new run and she got a new nest box... maybe that (stress?) had something to do with it.

Anyway, I gave her some crushed egg shell and will continue to give it to her and see what happens.