Soft eggs from one hen

[BackyardAR]

I have two white leghorn hens that have only been laying about three weeks. As soon as they started I switched to Layena and started mixing oyster shell into their food. Only on one or two occasions did I get two calcified eggs. Normally I get one good egg in the nest box and a noncalcified egg on the coop floor.

I am in the process of identifying the hen dropping the bad eggs but just wanted to know how long I should try to work this out before she is deemed a "loss".

 

[Ridgerunner]

A general rule of thumb is two weeks after she starts laying them, especially if you are mixing oyster shell in their food. It sometimes takes them a while to get the kinks worked out of their internal egg laying factory. I think the surprising thing is how many actually get it right straight from the start, not that one occasionally messes up.

The way you are feeding them it is obviously not a case of her not eating enough calcium but a case that her body is just not processing it right. Not a lot you can do about that that I’m aware of.

 

[angusrooster]

i had same problem last week and someone said for me to wait she would probably get right well it has been two days and no soft shelled eggs she had been doing this for over a week.good luck

 

[BackyardAR]

Well, I haven't identified the hen yet but I have figured out why I sometimes get two good eggs in a day. It happens after a day where I get no good eggs, so I think it's the good hen dropping two during a 24hr period.

Looks like I am going to have to get rid of my other hen.

 

[angusrooster]

i dont know if i would get rid of her yet,it is still early in the year my hens are just starting to lay good. winter is still here we just had 11 inches of snow this week girls not happy with this , they havent been able to get out for three days had not soft egg since orignal problem got one yesterday.took snow shovelto pen cleaned 8x32 feet swath through lot.hope this helps .good luck.