Silkie continually laying soft shell eggs….

[Pom Pom and Lavender]

Hi all. One of my silkies, Pom Pom, has been consistently laying eggs with paper thin shells for over a week. Usually she lays every other day and the eggs have always been slightly elongated, but lately shell less and very thin shelled eggs have become much more frequent. I just had two in a row! Two of them have stopped laying for the winter and one is still laying good eggs every other day. Pom is about 2 years old ish maybe younger.


I’ve looked online quite extensively and there are so many factors so I bought liquid calcium and added that to their water. They always have access to grit and I’ve seen her eating it! They have omlet crumble and some treats a couple times a day and they free range all day too.


I’ve read on the various health conditions and she seems absolutely fine - eating, pecking around, drinking, normal behaviour! I have seen that this could be to egg drop syndrome or infectious bronchitis, but if so, are the chickens ill with it ?

thanks for your help

 

[FeatheredFriends&Horses2]

Where did you get your chickens from? Could they have come into contact with any waterfowl?

 

[Pom Pom and Lavender]

I got them as rescues - there weren’t any waterfowl there but there were other chickens!

 

[primatologica]

One of my six girls was laying shell-less eggs every other day. I switched up the oyster shell I offered. I had been using the Manna Pro shell, which most of my chickens happily eat. I added a second container with flaked oyster shell (so smaller pieces), and within a week and a half, the soft eggs stopped. I'm guessing one of the pullets just wasn't getting enough calcium and strongly prefers the smaller pieces of shell.

 

[Lizzy733]

Shell quality issues can be a precursor to infection.

Is she laying these in the nest box? On the roost? Around the run?

I wouldn't bother with liquid calcium in the water - go for a direct dose via syringe daily and see if her egg quality improves. Your liquid calcium should preferably have vitamin D, which helps with absorption.

Hopefully its not, but since infection is a risk, keep an eye out for fever by comparing the temp of her abdomen to a healthy bird and 'lash' material - which may initially look like cottage cheese with a light brown coloring and progress to a more rubbery consistency in later stages of infection.

At 2 and around moult, it may very well just be related to her age and the season. Hopefully nothing more than that. Very prolific layers can start to run into reproductive issues around the time of their first true moult, and though she's not, it still may just be her system winding down for the season.

 

[tbecker826]

Shell quality issues can be a precursor to infection.

Is she laying these in the nest box? On the roost? Around the run?

I wouldn't bother with liquid calcium in the water - go for a direct dose via syringe daily and see if her egg quality improves. Your liquid calcium should preferably have vitamin D, which helps with absorption.

Hopefully its not, but since infection is a risk, keep an eye out for fever by comparing the temp of her abdomen to a healthy bird and 'lash' material - which may initially look like cottage cheese with a light brown coloring and progress to a more rubbery consistency in later stages of infection.

At 2 and around moult, it may very well just be related to her age and the season. Hopefully nothing more than that. Very prolific layers can start to run into reproductive issues around the time of their first true moult, and though she's not, it still may just be her system winding down for the season.

I have one doing the same thing and it is her first molting season. This was very helpful information. Thank you.

 

[Pom Pom and Lavender]

I have one doing the same thing and it is her first molting season. This was very helpful information. Thank you.

Thanks so much for your advice. I will try the syringe of liquid calcium for now and see where we get to with it. Fingers xd

 

[DandyBanty23]

Shell quality issues can be a precursor to infection.

Is she laying these in the nest box? On the roost? Around the run?

I wouldn't bother with liquid calcium in the water - go for a direct dose via syringe daily and see if her egg quality improves. Your liquid calcium should preferably have vitamin D, which helps with absorption.

Hopefully its not, but since infection is a risk, keep an eye out for fever by comparing the temp of her abdomen to a healthy bird and 'lash' material - which may initially look like cottage cheese with a light brown coloring and progress to a more rubbery consistency in later stages of infection.

At 2 and around moult, it may very well just be related to her age and the season. Hopefully nothing more than that. Very prolific layers can start to run into reproductive issues around the time of their first true moult, and though she's not, it still may just be her system winding down for the season.

This makes me feel a bit better about my own Silkie. She has laid great for the 2 years we've had her until right now in the beginning of true winter. I feel so sorry for the gal. I can tell the soft egg is uncomfortable for her to lay and she seems to be out of the loop until it's laid, its caused a dirty undercarriage too. She has access to crushed oyster shell. I'm hoping this phase passes and she ceases to lay throughout the winter.