Soft Eggs and Double Yolkers

[togoffrd]

Hey all, been lurking here for a little while learning 'bout these little critters. We got involed with chickens when my neighbor was deployed to Iraq, and he gave the kids a couple of bantoms. Then the wife bought some chicks at the feed store this spring. Well they started laying the first of the month, and the first egg had a real soft rubbery shell. I don't know whether the inside was normal or not, as the wife took it to school to show her kids. From then on everything was pretty much normal eggs except one of the girls was laying an extra, extra large egg that the egg carton wouldn't close with them inside. It turned out that every one of those were double yolks.

Well today we got another rubbery egg. It could be the first egg for one of the girls. So I guess my question is why do they do this? Is it a lack of something in their diet? or just one of those thing tha happen. I'll try to put up a picture if'n i can figure out how.

 

[jenichick]

Make sure they are on layer feed and they have enough protein in their diet. You can buy oyster shell from the feed store and give to them and it will harden their shell. If it's their first few eggs then weird eggs are somewhat normal but after a few days of laying it should be hard and fairly consistant. Double yolks when they first start laying are normal, I have two that do this a couple of times a week. Mine are 20 weeks old. It can take up to 24-30 weeks for some chicks to mature enough to have a regular schedule.

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

Here's a good resource for you regarding egg quality and factors that affect it:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

 

[barg]

One of my chickens started out with the same thing, soft shells and incomplete shells.
Ours just started laying as well, we gave them oyster shell as soon as the first one laid and everything cleared up from then on.

I would like to remark that you have a very nice color assortment in your eggs.
Do you know what breed laid the one next to the soft one, and what breed did that really dark brown one in the front come from?
Ahh hek, what breeds did they all come from, they look great.

Oh and btw, feel free to post your information on your EE (americana) in the EE thread. the link is in my signiture

 

[rosyposyosy]

is that a purple egg?! how cool! i wonder what the mix of an EE and what to get a PURPLE egg... hmmm. also, is that dark egg from a maran?

 

[horsewishr]

My four girls have been laying for a couple of weeks. The eggs have generally been gorgeous, with very hard shells. I've had three soft-shelled eggs. The first was from my Australorp. It may even have been her first egg. it was laid at 6:00PM.

Everything was fine for a couple of days, until this morning. I went out to open the coop, and there were TWO soft eggs dropped from the roost pole--either last night or in the wee hours of the morning. I had three perfect eggs yesterday (early afternoon), so obviously I didn't have two hens that were due to lay yet.

So that's my guess about the soft ones. They were laid too early, and didn't have time to harden up inside the chicken.

BTW, I've had one double-yolker, too, which I understand is also a problem with the synchronization of the egg cycle.

I think this whole egg thing is amazing. The fact that it gets goofy once in a while is not surprising.

 

[togoffrd]

Thanks all, the one soft one must of been a first egg for someone, cause it it did happen once before with the first egg of the whole bunch. The double yolkers have came one a day for about a week now.

As far as who lays what , I don't know. I'm not really sure what breeds the girls are. There are 3 EE, 2 white ones that were dyed Easter colors, which I think maybe Leghorns, a black hen, and 2 red colored ones, plus the two bantys. I'll see if I can get you guy's to id them after I get some pics.

It's amazing how much fun these creatures are, the whole family enjoys them.

Thanks again, Tom

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

2 leghorns that were dyed easter colors???? why??? who did it?? is that normal??? I have to see some pic's.....

 

[togoffrd]

Quote:
OK, I'm only guessing that they are leghorns, but they were bought at a local feed store. Normal? I don't know, leaning towards not, but they also had ducklings & gosslings (SP) too.

The blue & red ones are the white hens, and the green one is Chicken Little, a cool red roo now.


Newchickenmom, thanks for the link.

Tom

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
If you search easter chicks or colored chicks, you'll find lots of posts about them. It's a marketing thing and usually white birds are used as they dye easier.