rubber eggs?

[iPeanut1990]

My 3 RIRs are 22 weeks old. One started laying at 19 weeks and the other started laying at 21 weeks. She is not laying consistently yet. I also have 1 who is not laying yet as far as I know. The one who began laying at 19 weeks has been laying an egg with a shell every day. I found 2 rubber eggs in their roosting area this morning. I didn't see them in there yesterday but they may have been there. I clean the shavings from the roosting area and nest box out once week every Friday so I know it's happened since then. One was broken and spilled as I tried to pick it up. I cleaned up those shavings. I also found what I think was a dried up egg membrane from what I'm assuming was a 3rd rubber egg. I'm not sure who they came from and I know these types of eggs are common from a new layer. The rubber eggs were not in the nesting box. I have oyster shell available for them but apparently they haven't been using it. I'm concerned I have a hen who's been hiding and eating her eggs. I will start being a little more vigilant but how do I fix this?

 

[Kelsie2290]

The occasional soft or shell-less eggs are usually just a glitch in the egg laying system and they are especially common in new layers like your girls like you said. It takes awhile for them to get the egg laying system in gear. Usually there were multiple yolks released or the egg is just moving through the system too fast. It is not necessarily related to a lack of calcium as such, (it can be related to the bird's ability to use calcium which is often age related or a defective shell gland), so as long as they have oyster shell available would just give it time. ime eating soft eggs doesn't lead to eating regular eggs, but would still take all the usual precautions, ie make sure there are fake eggs in the boxes, collect eggs often etc. There is a list of causes on The Poultry Site for soft shelled eggs ... http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs