Not sure if we have a real problem.......worries me.

[Buddyboy1]

This hen is everyones favorite hen, she belongs to my grandson, but guess who feeds her and tends to her. You can't help but get close to a chicken while nursing it back from a Bobcat attack. This is a Rhode Island Red and she is our most reliable layer. Lately, every few days , she lays a thin shelled egg (it will break in my hand. Is this a problem, does anyone know what to do?

 

[cafarmgirl]

A few questions: Is she eating her layer feed and does she have oyster shell available? How old is she?

Thin shells that break easily are a concern because they can break while the hen is trying to lay the egg. Broken egg shell stuck inside the hen is a problem. It is also a concern in that it may indicate that the hen is starting to have other issues with the egg laying process.

It may also be, especially if she is an older hen, that she is just not as good at absorbing calcium as she used to be and needs some supplementing. I have an older hen who started laying very thin shelled eggs despite eating layer feed and oyster shell. I started supplementing her with liquid calcium a few times a week and that got her laying eggs with much better shells again.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

It's normally a sign that she isn't eating enough calcium. Do you leave out oyster shell, sometimes called shell grit? I leave it out all the time in a separate container so the girls choose when to eat it.

It can happen more often when they just start to lay, including when they begin laying again after a moult. I guess their system doesn't always gear up in the right order in time. I've even had completely shell-less ones form a young hen only just starting to lay.

If she has access to shell grit and it keeps happening, you can also buy a liquid calcium supplement to add into their food. I did this into the breakfast mash every few days until the thin or no shell eggs stopped.

But it generally isn't anything to worry about.

Hope this helps.

 

[Buddyboy1]

Thanks for your concerned replies. The hen is approx. one year old. Her laying has been somewhat inconsistent for the last few months. She used to lay every day, now she is down to every two to three days. She eats plenty of lay mash.THANX AGAIN, Ken