shelless eggs?

[kmatt87]

the last wk or two i've been finding eggs that have no shell. They have some sort of membrane, like the kind you sometimes find on hardboiled eggs when you peel them, around them. A couple of them were smashed so i could inspect them but a few were intact. Inside they appear to be a normal egg but the outside is definately not.

Mine get a 20% feed along with alot of free range time and i feed all our dried eggshells back to them. Are these types of eggs normal for new layers or is there something i should be adding/taking away from their diet?

 

[rikithemonk]

Not enough calcium. You need to fix it before your hens realize eggs can be food. Your risking teaching your hens to become egg eaters. From what I have read, once hens start eating eggs, you cant stop it and they teach the others. You end up having to cull the entire flock. (if you want eggs)

Riki

 

[Kevin565]

You might consider adding oyster shells to their diet as well.

 

[Eggcessive]

Not to worry if you have new pullets laying and this is the time of year we all have them. If all your chickens are over 16 weeks you can switch to layer feed or stay with what you have and give them crushed oyster shell for extra calcium. You are doing the right thing feeding them eggshells. They should start laying better eggs, but we all get a few of those at first.

 

[kmatt87]

Not to worry if you have new pullets laying and this is the time of year we all have them. If all your chickens are over 16 weeks you can switch to layer feed or stay with what you have and give them crushed oyster shell for extra calcium. You are doing the right thing feeding them eggshells. They should start laying better eggs, but we all get a few of those at first.

they get layer feed already. I thought that eggshells could be used as a substitute for oyster shells. Are the oyster shells higher in calcium?

 

[kmatt87]

i've noticed my california white has been having really watery poops and she hasn't laid in the last 5 days (that i've seen). She has been laying 5 - 6 eggs a wk since she started laying about 6 wks ago..... could she be the culprit of the shelless eggs?

 

[pichuris]

Ive had this happen too but it was in times of stress. Twice when I added my new pullets to the flock.

 

[kmatt87]

Ive had this happen too but it was in times of stress. Twice when I added my new pullets to the flock.

no new stress that i can think of. My kids have chased them around, but that has been done since day 1 and its never had an ill effects.

I did start closing the door on the coop at night about a wk ago instead of leaving it open so they can go into the run when ever they would like. That isn't enough to stress them out though is it?

 

[dennarahl]

the watery poo over the last few days could just be that our temps went back up. my girls all get looser when it gets hot. I've noticed that the number of eggs I've gotten in the last couple weeks has gone down. i think they're all starting to slow down for winter already.

anyway, i'd definitely add oyster shell or egg shells to the feed or have a little bowl available.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

I have been giving my girls layer feed with their own shells back as a booster and have never run into this issue. My guess would be a 'glitch' in a newer layer, just getting the kinks worked out of the system. I probably would offer more calcium, like oyster shell, just to try and help the situation along. Otherwise, if nothing is stressing her,