Really thin shells

[Doodadman]

2 of my girls have been laying really this shelled eggs. One was crushed in the nesting box and I found another in the yard. This is the second time this week that the speckled sussex has layed a "soft" egg outside the box. There has been no change in their diet. I just added oyster shells to the feed. Is there anything else I should be doing.

 

[b.hromada]

The oyster shell is a great idea.

Also, try adding back their shells from their eggs. I will microwave them, and crush them up, then feed them back to the girls. See if this helps you out.

 

[chicmom]

If she is a new layer, don't worry. It's common for newly laying pullets to have some soft shelled eggs, or teeny tiny eggs, wrinkly eggs.....even a shellless egg! I always call them practice eggs. Soon her eggs will become normal. Sometimes the hens all seem to like the same nesting box, so one ends up on the ground. It happens. Generally speaking, there should be 1 nest box for 3 hens. With mine though, they all seem to want to lay in one particular box.

I don't let mine out to free range until the afternoon. That way they're done laying and then they can go outside and play until dusk, and I don't have to search for eggs.

 

[PolarBear]

I have heard that you should add their shells back to their diet, and I have heard that doing this may encourage the chickens to break and eat their own eggs. Does anyone have any experience with this? I would love to get a definitive answer 1 way or the other.

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
If you crush the shells up small, until they no longer resemble an egg in any way, they are great to give back to the hens. I've always done this with my hens for 40+ years, and never had any egg-eaters.

 

[Annalisa]

Eggs shells and oysters are a great! What amazed me, was that my bird that was laying soft eggs was the one who gobbled up the oyster shells like there was no tomorrow. She was craving them because she needed them.

 

[PolarBear]

Thanks y'all. It's always nice to get advice from the experts.