Managing soft shell eggs and burnout

[Cyprus]

We've been back in business in the egg laying factories (birds) for over a month now. My girls started back up with no issues and kept on for about a month just fine.
Now I've just gotten my third soft-shelled egg in under a week from two different hens. My Leghorns -all 2+ years- have consistently been giving eggs with incredibly thin and brittle shells or no shells at all. Just them. They are on 16% layer with free choice oyster shell in 2 separate locations. Yet, they seem to either not be eating it or it isn't doing anything.
How do I manage this? Is this just burnout? Nothing seems to be working. Not the layer, not the OS, not calcium tablets (tums) and not even a decrease in crowding. Should I be looking at disease? If it was disease, why is only one breed affected? I have a ISA Brown, too and she is laying the strongest eggs. She is also 2+years.

TIA,
Cyprus

 

[casportpony]

Try calcium citrate with vitamin d3 or calcium gluconatebbecause the calcium carbonate in tums is said to be a poor source of calcium.

• Tums for Calcium? | Calcium Cutrate | Ask Dr. Weil
  https://www.drweil.com/.../supplements-remedies/tums-for-calcium
  Tums provide calcium as calcium carbonate (chalk), which is not always easily absorbed by the body. I recommend using calcium citrate, a form that is better absorbed. Because Tums are less expensive than calcium supplements, you may prefer to risk the absorption problem in order to keep your costs down. This is less of a …

• Are TUMS a Good Calcium Supplement? | Livestrong.com
  https://www.livestrong.com/article/465085-are-tums-a-good-calcium...
  Calcium Considerations. TUMS are composed of calcium carbonate, which is not absorbed well on an empty stomach, so TUMS should be taken with a meal. In addition, the calcium carbonate in TUMS has been shown to cause constipation. Finally, calciumrequires vitamin D for proper absorption. The manufacturers of TUMS point out...

• Tums Is a Good Source of Calcium, Right? Definitely …
  https://www.getoffyouracid.com/blogs/acidic-foods-to-avoid/tums-is...
  What’s Wrong with Most Calcium Supplements. Tums and other commonly used calcium supplements contain calcium carbonate, the cheapest and single worst form of calcium. This is not to be confused with other types of calcium.

 

[aart]

My Leghorns -all 2+ years- have consistently been giving eggs with incredibly thin and brittle shells or no shells at all. Just them. They are on 16% layer with free choice oyster shell in 2 separate locations.

2+ years...how many months, or when did they hatch?
Are you feeding any other 'foods'?

My take is that if the rest of the flock is laying good shells, it's the bird not the diet.
Good shells are not just about the amount of calcium ingested but how the body uptakes and distributes that calcium...so other nutritive components have an impact as does the biology of the bird. High production breeds are more likely to have reproductive tract issues.

Have had several thin shell layers, no amount of calcium citrate with vitamin d3 did much good if any at all....but they made great soup.

 

[casportpony]

Have had several thin shell layers, no amount of calcium citrate with vitamin d3 did much good if any at all.

All of mine that have paid eggs with thin shells or shell-less eggs got better after being treated with calcium citrate or calcium gluconate, though I probably de-wormer them too.

 

[Cyprus]

2+ years...how many months, or when did they hatch?
Are you feeding any other 'foods'?

My take is that if the rest of the flock is laying good shells, it's the bird not the diet.
Good shells are not just about the amount of calcium ingested but how the body uptakes and distributes that calcium...so other nutritive components have an impact as does the biology of the bird. High production breeds are more likely to have reproductive tract issues.

Have had several thin shell layers, no amount of calcium citrate with vitamin d3 did much good if any at all....but they made great soup.

About 30 months old.
They just get the pellets. Sometimes they get to free range. But lately grass is covered with snow.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Not all oyster shell is created equal.

Mine wouldn't touch the manna pro stuff that looks like drywall crumbled up.

I found they readily use this.

https://www.lindmarine.com/services-products/oyster-shell-calcium-for-poultry/

 

[aart]

Not all oyster shell is created equal.

Mine wouldn't touch the manna pro stuff that looks like drywall crumbled up.

I found they readily use this.

https://www.lindmarine.com/services-products/oyster-shell-calcium-for-poultry/

Huh...mine have no problem with the manna pro OS.

I find it very odd taht they recommend feeding calcium supplement to birds under 20 weeks old<scratcheshead>
"Grow Shell Blend is designed primarily as a start/grow feed ingredient for young chicks through age 20 weeks. "

How much is there to 'mine'? <scratchesheadharder>
"Lind Marine has been mining historic oyster shell deposits in South San Francisco Bay since 1924."

 

[21hens-incharge]

Huh...mine have no problem with the manna pro OS.

I find it very odd taht they recommend feeding calcium supplement to birds under 20 weeks old<scratcheshead>
"Grow Shell Blend is designed primarily as a start/grow feed ingredient for young chicks through age 20 weeks. "

How much is there to 'mine'? <scratchesheadharder>
"Lind Marine has been mining historic oyster shell deposits in South San Francisco Bay since 1924."

I never looked at the "grow shell". That is weird.

 

[Cyprus]

No hard eggs today -but no leghorn eggs either.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Do you give ACV?