Soft eggs for a week!

[jstlitlome]

My RIR, Clara Bell has been laying soft eggs for about a week! They have organic layer feed and free choice oyster shell and crushed egg shells. I have been giving them yogurt, cottage cheese crushed up boiled eggs with the shell on, but still getting them!

Any other ideas?

 

[enola]

How old is your hen?

 

[sumi]

Soft shells are often seen with young layers, but if the hen has been laying for awhile it could be caused by nutritional deficiencies (though it sounds like your hen is getting more than enough of what she needs), internal or external parasites, weather extremes, certain diseases, etc. More info on that here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems

Be careful not to feed too much calcium rich food. Too much calcium in the hen's diet can also cause egg shell quality problems. If she's getting layer feed, which is specially formulated to meet layers' nutrient requirements, and you offer oystershell or eggshell free choice it will be enough.

 

[jstlitlome]

I forgot to mention that she is about 6 1/2 months old. She has only been laying regularly for about a month now. She has the darkest egg of my flock and my egg basket misses her eggs.

I get their feed from a guy who mixes it himself. He mixes in a supplement that includes calcium, but I'm thinking of going back to the bag o' feed. I just like the idea of organic. There is one more supplier in my area that sells it by the bag with actual ingredient percentages on the bag, so I'll try that first.

They all seem healthy other than that though. Nice shiny feathers, eating and active.

 

[jstlitlome]

Soft shells are often seen with young layers, but if the hen has been laying for awhile it could be caused by nutritional deficiencies (though it sounds like your hen is getting more than enough of what she needs), internal or external parasites, weather extremes, certain diseases, etc. More info on that here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems

Be careful not to feed too much calcium rich food. Too much calcium in the hen's diet can also cause egg shell quality problems. If she's getting layer feed, which is specially formulated to meet layers' nutrient requirements, and you offer oystershell or eggshell free choice it will be enough.

What a great link! Thank you!