Occasional thin shelled egg

[Kerry]

I have four barred rocks which I raised from baby chicks. They are about 16 months old. They average three eggs per day. I don't know if one is laying two and one perhaps has never laid but occasionally I'll have a a four-egg day.

They get lots of cracked corn, oyster shells, and layer pellets, plus treats of nice home grown organic fruit, veggies (papaya, bananas, tomatoes, kale, spinich) and pet food grade fish, and a couple tablespoons of wild bird seed each day.

Lately I get about one egg per week that has a 1/4 irregular hole in its shell revealing the shell is very thin around the hole.

The eggs do roll and drop about 1" to the lower tray that is padded. The eggs then roll to the rear where I collect them at the rear of the the cage. In other words, the minute a hen gets off the egg it's rolling and dropping thereby not giving the hen enough time to peck at it.

Every couple weeks I'll find an egg on the grass so my thinking, given that they consistently leave it alone, is that they haven't developed a taste for eggs.

I add a multi-vitamin powder to their water.

The only possible health problem is that one of the eggs is consistently spotted. At first I thought it was just a normal spotted egg but I can scour (kitchen pad) the spots off, leaving me to believe that these are spots of blood. The egg is itself normal looking with a lovely orange yoke.

They live in a 8' x 10' bottomless chicken tractor that I roll around the yard.

Any idea what might be happening?

Thanks,

Kerry

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure what is going on. The way I read this you have two problems, thin shells and occasionally a hole in an egg. Can you tell if it is just one hen's eggs with this problem? I've never done it but I've heard if you put food coloring on the vent, you can tell which hen laid which egg. I would not use red as they like to pick at red and I think you have to put it on fresh every day. This might help solve your mystery.

First, the thin shell.

Are the shells thin on all the eggs all the time, is one thin only occasionally even without a hole, or is it only when you see the hole that you have a thin shell? Are they thin all over or just in spots? Are you sure they are not over-indulging in the corn and not getting enough layer pellets? The layer feed should have calcium in it and with the oyster shell, you'd think they have enough calcium. Calcium is not the only thing making up the shell. They do require a balanced diet. If they over-eat one thing they could have an unbalanced diet. People automatically say give them more calcium. That's my first thought too but it is not always the problem.

Some hens genetically produce thin shelled eggs.

Some diseases can cause thin shelled eggs.

Second, the hole.

Do they all lay in the same nest? My first thought is that you have a nail, screw, splinter, something hard sticking out that an egg occasionally hits on its way to be collected. I imagine you have checked.

I'd think it is not a predator if the egg itself is not eaten. With holes in eggs, I automatically think predators or egg eaters.

I'm at a loss for other possible causes for the hole. Hopefully someone else can help.

Good luck!

 

[DTchickens]

Quote:
Vitamin D and stress can cause thin-shells.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi there,

We had a BR who started to lay thin-shelled eggs and finally no eggs. It turned out that she had cocci and roundworms. We weren't able to catch it in time and she died. If you haven't wormed your hens, you should definitely consider it.

 

[DTchickens]

Quote:
Yeah, being sick with just about anything can cause laying issues. Weather too, young or old pullets/hens.. etc.

 

[Kerry]

Hi JennsPeeps & Ridgerunner,

I'm certainly guilty of feeding them too much corn. I keep their corn feeder full most of the the time, consequently they don't eat as much layer pellets. Everytiem I add corn I add two 1/4 cup piles of oyster shells

Re: "Vitamin D and stress can cause thin-shells." I give them Vit D in their water. Could they be getting too much D?

They get about 2-3 hours per day of direct sunshine otherwise it's partial shade. The tractor itself is 50/50 sun/shade, what with a corrugated roof covering half the 8 x 10 tractor.

Worm treatment sounds like a good idea also.

I have numbered leg bands on them but I don't know who is laying what. The bands are quite dirty and hard to read. This morning for the first time I caught one in the egg box and it was #61, my most affectionate one; it's nice to think she's one of the layers.

They all use the same egg box. At night one, and sometimes two, sleep in the other box. This summer they've been sleeping on the roosts not in the box. There's never poop in the egg box even thought they are side by side.

Re: "Are the shells thin on all the eggs all the time" The only time I notice thin shells is when there is a hole. The hole seems to be caused by the drop, but 99% of the time the eggs drop and roll perfectly. The drop padding is very springy. There's always just one hole in an egg. The thinness is only around the hole.

Thanks for the ideas,

Kerry