soft egg whites, thin shells

[Dee Dee 2]

There is something wrong and I can NOT figure out what is causing it. My girls (3 2 RRI 1 Aust)
egg have thin shells and the whites are thin as if the eggs were 'old' . When I hard boil the eggs the white is mushy and makes peeling almost impossible. I feed Dumore from T.S., a few meal worms as treats, 'good' snacks, berries, strawberry pieces, and yogurts almost every day. (Organic plain.) Coops are clean, fresh water always available. I fed some Rooster Booster for a while before I changed the watering system - it helped a little but still not right. ANY ideas appreciated.
Thanks !

 

[aart]

Which Dumor are you feeding...what is the protein percentage?
How old are birds?

 

[Chris09]

There is something wrong and I can NOT figure out what is causing it. My girls (3 2 RRI 1 Aust)
egg have thin shells and the whites are thin as if the eggs were 'old' . When I hard boil the eggs the white is mushy and makes peeling almost impossible. I feed Dumore from T.S., a few meal worms as treats, 'good' snacks, berries, strawberry pieces, and yogurts almost every day. (Organic plain.) Coops are clean, fresh water always available. I fed some Rooster Booster for a while before I changed the watering system - it helped a little but still not right. ANY ideas appreciated.
Thanks !

If your storing the eggs at proper temperature and the hens are young and healthy then I would look at nutrition.

Protein, Adequate levels of lysine and methionine is need to produce good egg shells. When pullets begin laying, there is an increase in protein, vitamin and mineral requirements per day due to deposition in the egg. If dietary protein is too low or the amino acid requirements are not met, poor egg production and hatchability will occur.

Calcium, The egg shell is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. The pullet's requirement for calciumis relatively low during the growing period, but when the first eggs are produced, the need is increased at least four times, with practically all of the increase being used for the productionof eggshells. Inadequate calcium consumption will result in decreased egg production and loweregg shell quality.
Hens store calcium in medullary bone, a specialized bone capable of rapid calcium turnover. As calcium stores are depleted, bones become brittle. In severe cases, hens are unable tostand. The condition is known as caged-layer fatigue. Birds on the ground or on litter floorsrecycle calcium and phosphorus through consumption of feces, and do not have caged-layer fatigue.
Calcium can be supplied in the diet as either ground limestone or oyster shell. Particlesize affects calcium availability. Usually the larger the particle size, the longer the particlewill be retained in the upper digestive tract. This means that the larger particles of thecalcium source are released more slowly, and this may be important for the continuity of shellformation, especially in the dark period when birds do not ordinarily eat.
Periodically, dolomitic limestone is offered to the feed industry. However, dolomitic limestone(which is used in the steel industry) should never be used in poultry diets. Dolomitic limestonecontains at least 10% magnesium, and this complexes with calcium or competes with calcium forabsorption sites in the intestines. The consequence of feeding dolomitic limestone is inducedcalcium deficiency.
Young birds should not be fed a high calcium layer diet because the calcium/phosphorus ratiowill be unbalanced, resulting in increased morbidity or mortality.

Phosphorus, The nutritional role of phosphorus is closely related to that of calcium. Both are constituentsof bone. The ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus affects the absorption of both these elements;an excess of either one impedes absorption and can reduce egg production, shell quality and/orhatchability.
In addition to its function in bone, phosphorus plays a primary role in carbohydrate metabolism,is active in fat metabolism, and helps to regulate the acid-base balance of the body

Vitamin D, Vitamin D is required for normal calcium absorption and utilization. If inadequate levelsof vitamin D are fed, induced calcium deficiency quickly results and egg production decreases.
Feed grade vitamin D comes in two forms, D2 and D3. In most animals, both are equally potent. In birds, however, D3 is substantially more active than D2. In poultry diets, therefore, vitamin D must be supplied in the form of D3.

Magnesium, Magnesium is needed for healthy bones, proper nervous system functioning, and energy metabolism.

Fat, Dietary fat is a source of energy and of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. A deficiency of linoleic acid will adversely affect egg production. Dietary fats also serve as "carriers"of fat-soluble vitamins, and some fat is necessary for absorption of vitamins. In fact, impairmentof the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) is the most serious consequence of a dietary deficiency of fat.

The general make up of a egg shell is --
Calcium carbonate.............................................................:94-97%
Phosphorus.......................................................................:0.3%
Magnesium........................................................................:0.2%
Sodium, Potassium, Manganese, Iron and Copper............:traces
Organic matter...................................................................:< 2%

Now the albumen or white part of the egg consists of about 90% water and 10% proteins.

Assuming again that your are young, healthy and getting plenty of fresh water every day I would say that you have a nutritional problem most likely a protein decency if not also a calcium/ phosphorus imbalance.

You might try just feeding the regular chicken feed and rooster booster with no other treats, if the eggs get better then you know the problem. What is the protein amount of the feed your feeding?

 

[Dee Dee 2]

Chris 09 THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR REPLY ABOUT THE THIN SHELLS AND RUNNY EGG WHITES ! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT ! I am going to print the info. so I can study it and go through each one of the possibilities. Forgot to check the % of protein but it is the Dumore laying crumbles. I also worm fairly regular and do have crushed oyster shell everywhere. I think part of the problem may be these are very lazy chickens. They stay in the chicken yard about 1/2 day with some scratch, a little dry cat food, or fruit scraps. When I let them out they peck across the barn yard through the horsie poo till they get to the stock trailer, then under the trailer they go. Pretty much stay there, unless I come out the gate, then it is "hey Mom whatcha got for us" ? About roost time they wander back to the coop pecking a little as they go. In their defence I can't blame them as our heat index is running over 100 % right now. Thanks again for your wonderful post !

 

[aart]

The heat could be effecting them too. Cut out all but the high protein treats.

 

[Dee Dee 2]

Sorry to take so long reply ----- not enought hr. in the day. The girls are 2 + yr. old. The Dumore is 16 % protein. The yogurt seems to help. THANKS !

 

[aart]

Sorry to take so long reply ----- not enought hr. in the day. The girls are 2 + yr. old. The Dumore is 16 % protein. The yogurt seems to help. THANKS !

Yogurt can be pretty high in protein....you'd have to check the label and best to avoid the sugary ones.