Shell-less eggs and oyster shell

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Hey guys,

my favorite hen has been throwing eggs with no shells on and off for a couple months. I keep separating her to give her a rest, as she got overbred, but every time I add her back with the others, she starts laying without a shell every other day or so.

This morning, I got an egg with very little shell from another hen, too.

they have access To oyster shell, but the bag had gotten wet, and it smelled so bad I thought maybe my cat peed in it. So I bought more oyster shell, and now I think maybe it just always smells “off.”

I mixed the new oyster shell in with some regular chicken layer feed, and have given all the hens that, as well as normal food. But is there anything else I should be doing? Has anyone else had a problem like this?

My OG hen laid all winter without a break. I’m thinking maybe that’s why her system is tired out? But she is only like 7 months old. That’s not “old.”

So, yeah. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[333113]

In my experience, shell-less eggs are more often due to stress. Low calcium will lead to eggshells that are weak or porous and break easily.

She may be stressed when she goes back to her pen. Maybe someone is picking on her and she has no place to hide?

You could do some observation and see if you can figure out what is stressing her. It may be that she doesn't feel safe because a hawk is sitting in the nearby tree, for example. Or you can give her turns in a separate pen with each of her flockmates, to see if you can isolate which one(s) of them are causing the stress.

 

[Nabiki]

Shell-less eggs could be stress, or, in my experience lack of calcium. If they aren't eating the oyster shell, you might try dry, crushed egg shell for a while. If they eat that, then you might start mixing some oyster shell in with the egg shell until they eat that again.

Rather than mixing it with their feed, also try offering it on the side. My birds like that. Make sure that the oyster shell is crushed into small enough pieces for the quail to eat easily.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

For being sure they get the calcium, you can give calcium supplements into the water.
Here in Germany there are extra products for poultry, I don't know the availability in the US.

Also I mix mineral grit (oyster shell) into the feed and have a solid grit stone extra.

 

[007Sean]

Stress usually makes them appear to lay 2 eggs a day....if under stress a hen can delay laying an egg for a short period of time. It takes 22 to 26 hours for the reproductive system to process an egg, from the time the ovum is released, until layed....at which time another ovum will be released and go through the process.

A shell-less egg in my experince is a results of low calcium levels or peritonitis.
Since you have another laying the same way, I'd suspect low calcium levels.