Slab-sided eggs? Odd shaped eggs from one of my girls..

[poulet2016]

Hi there,
For about a month or so now one of my chickens has been laying these really oddly shaped eggs. I wonder if they are slab-side eggs? They are flat on one side (sorry for all the photos but tying to really show the odd shapes!) and where you can see the lighter spot has been (not this week..thankfully) so soft it has cracked upon touch and my finger/a chickens toe/beak whatever has gone right through it.
The girls have access to oyster shells at all times. No one looks sick...just curious...have you all experienced this? I've read it can be caused by stress, bronchitis, etc. It's been a few weeks now so I'm wondering what I can do!
Thanks for any tips!
P

 

[MissChick@dee]

How old are your birds?
I had some irregular shapes and thin shells from one of my 4yr old hen. She has a cycle they get thinner in the Shell right before she takes a day off from laying. And the her first egg of her new cycle can be thick and even have some lumpy deposits. She a older prolific egg layer. It’s just her cycle at this age.
If it were me I make sure I wasn’t giving treats (too many) that can block calcium absorbing in their systems.
You could give her a quick shot of calcium by giving her crushed TUMS. Or in a chunk in a grape. This is not a dietary supplement so it’s Not a everyday thing.
You could offer foods higher in selenium. Cooked eggs or sardines (cheap at the dollar store) this will help her body take up calcium.
You could also add ground egg shells back to their feed. There is a process to this also. You need to ensure against salmonella. Lots of good reading when you research it.
ETA: they are flat because they are soft and wet when laid would be my guess.

 

[poulet2016]

How old are your birds?
I had some irregular shapes and thin shells from one of my 4yr old hen. She has a cycle they get thinner in the Shell right before she takes a day off from laying. And the her first egg of her new cycle can be thick and even have some lumpy deposits. She a older prolific egg layer. It’s just her cycle at this age.
If it were me I make sure I wasn’t giving treats (too many) that can block calcium absorbing in their systems.
You could give her a quick shot of calcium by giving her crushed TUMS. Or in a chunk in a grape. This is not a dietary supplement so it’s Not a everyday thing.
You could offer foods higher in selenium. Cooked eggs or sardines (cheap at the dollar store) this will help her body take up calcium.
You could also add ground egg shells back to their feed. There is a process to this also. You need to ensure against salmonella. Lots of good reading when you research it.
ETA: they are flat because they are soft and wet when laid would be my guess.

Hi there,
Thanks for your response! I am not totally sure which one of my green egg laying girls this is from though I suspect it may be one who is only 1. The other 2 are 3 years old. I fed them some eggs this morning and made sure they have crushed oyster shells. I'll see if I can get some sardines too.
Thanks!

 

[sumi]

@poulet2016 Here are some possible causes: Common egg quality problems

 

[MissChick@dee]

My chickens have OS available at all times. What I’ve noticed is that they may not eat it every day. Mine tend to load-up and be good for a couple days. Similar to how they replace grit.
With chickens we constantly learn. BYC has Great information at the learning section of this forum. I read for over a year before I joined. You should check it out!

 

[aart]

you all experienced this? I've read it can be caused by stress, bronchitis, etc. It's been a few weeks now so I'm wondering what I can do!

What all and how exactly do you feed them?
Any stressors, new feed, change in housing, new birds, predator attack??