I have 3 new girls that were hatched in March. They’re a cross between Australorp and Isbar and were expected to lay green/moss eggs. Two of them have been laying small eggs regularly for a few weeks, maybe three. One lays lovely green eggs the other lays nice brown eggs almost daily. I just figured out that the third hen is laying soft shell eggs. I had been finding them in the coop for a few weeks off and on, but wasn’t sure if it was the same chicken laying soft and hard eggs on different days (they’re green from what I can tell). Today I found my green egg layer, Caio, laying an egg in a Chick Box and also found a soft shelled green/blue egg in the coop where they sleep. They eat a balanced feed and also have access to oyster shell and crushed dry eggshells. Since they love picking through flowerpots, I mix the shells with the dirt and strategically located them around the yard where the flock free ranges. That way they can snack on it throughout the day. I also bought calcium carbonate powder which I mix into their soaked grains once or twice a week (a tsp, not a crazy amount) to help some of my 2 year old hens that have thinner shells. Seems to have helped. I don’t necessarily want to increase that too much because I don’t want to overtax the systems of my older gals that are no longer laying with too much calcium and also the ones that are already consuming enough from free choice.
Should I be worried 3 weeks out that she is still laying soft shells? If so, what would you recommend?
The pic below is of the eggs from the two hens that have started laying. The large egg is one from Flash, one of my Welsummer hens. It’s just there for size comparison.
