Road Island lays lots of eggs with no shells, is there a problem?

[15shenyl]

I have a road island hen that ever spence she started laying she always lays 1 to 3 eggs a week with no shell(no hard shell, soft shell sometimes just yolk). I didn't think nothing of it when she first started laying because many of my new chickens lay eggs like this when they first start, but she will be one year at the end of next month. Does she just have a problem inside or is she not getting enough of something( my chickens free range and get their feed and some scratch or corn in the evening with some fruit some days). Can anyone give me some info please, thanks!

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

Are they getting any kind of oyster shell?

 

[Sarevan]

When ours first started laying I thought they would get enough calcium from the feed. Found out here in forums they need it and grit as free choice. I added 2 small containers made from plastic bottles for the oyster shell and grit in area of the feeder. They went insane over it for the first week, now occasionally peck at the new metal container I have for it. It didn't take long for shells to harden up after adding the oyster shell and egg shells.

At the very worst may have a problem internally where the shell is added to cover the egg. I would give the oyster and crushed egg shells to see if that handles the problem. If not may have to do a search in forums to see if a vitamin deficiency. Good luck!


Oh just saw you are in Yakima! Hi there neighbor!

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

Also what I do from time to time is hard boil some eggs and crush them up and feed it to them so they get the egg shell. Dont give them whole hard boiled eggs as it may encourage them to eat eggs out of the nest box.

 

[15shenyl]

They always get egg and shell, all the chickens love egg. They eat scrambled, boiled, sometimes I crack an egg in the back yard and they eat the yolk and shell, they never have eaten eggs out if the boxes, because they free range, the only time they are in the coop is when they lay and at night when they put them selfs to bed, even when it snows I have to make a path in the yard for them or they will pull the feathers of the Polish chickens heads. I try to leave oyster shell and grit and they hate it, they won't touch it. It hasn't bothered her as far as I could tell but I just don't know. I worry about her because I have lost 3 hens so far this year, I really don't want to loose another, I need some chickens to show at the fairs(my Salmon Faverolles have wone grand champion for 3 years in a row now). Red(the hen with the egg problems) is a really dark red color like the origonal breed is to look like so I think she might have a chance.

And hi to you too Sarevan, I actually live in Grandview but not many people know where that is, so I put Yakima because more people know where that's at.