Soft eggs...what to do next

[Abrios]

I rescued a trio of golden comet chickens that have lice. I am estimating their age at 2ish. They are being treated and the lice is just about gone. One of the girls had it really bad. She does not have any feathers on her underside and her skin is very pink. It looks uncomfortable. She is the smallest of the three. Well she lays eggs about 5 days a week, even though it is winter, but the shells are super thin. If I get the egg right after she lays it I can salvage it. But as soon as another hen gets in there, they break it. I have oyster shells available to them all day and there egg shells as well. I ferment feed and add the egg shells back into the fermented feed. What else can I do to help her. Do I just need to wait for her overall health to improve? Any ideas would be very appropriate .

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I rescued a trio of golden comet chickens that have lice. I am estimating their age at 2ish.

Well she lays eggs about 5 days a week, even though it is winter, but the shells are super thin. If I get the egg right after she lays it I can salvage it. But as soon as another hen gets in there, they break it. I have oyster shells available to them all day and there egg shells as well. I ferment feed and add the egg shells back into the fermented feed.

I'm glad you were able to get rid of the lice.

For her, I would try giving Caltrate (1/2 tablet) once a day for 5 days to see if that makes a difference. I know some will suggest to give more than 5 days but you can overdo calcium.

Hopefully this will help firm up the egg shells.

Where were they rescued from? Photos?
Are they Ex Batts?

Since she's a "rescue " and a production breed, she may be starting to have some reproductive issues, but I would consider de-worming as well. You can get a fecal float performed by your vet to see if that's needed or if that's not doable, then just de-worm. You can find Fenbendazole (Safeguard) at TSC. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days. This will take care of most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworms.

 

[azygous]

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
What are you feeding, and are you checking the mill date on each bag of feed? For better feather growth, an all-flock or grower type feed, 18% to 20% protein, is best. Then have oyster shell in a separate feeder that's easily accessible. She might be having actual reproductive issues, or just need that oyster shell right near the door, not in a back corner. Adding egg shells to her feed directly isn't a great idea.
How long have you had them? More time in your better environment may help too.
Mary

 

[Abrios]

I got them from a local kid (20's) who had them in his backyard. He said they are a year but I think they are more like 2 years. They also have their beaks clipped. He did not say where he got them from but he said he had them about a year. They needed to be taken care of so I just took them. He had to get rid of them because of a new dog he got for breading purposes.

 

[Abrios]

Welcome!
What are you feeding, and are you checking the mill date on each bag of feed? For better feather growth, an all-flock or grower type feed, 18% to 20% protein, is best. Then have oyster shell in a separate feeder that's easily accessible. She might be having actual reproductive issues, or just need that oyster shell right near the door, not in a back corner. Adding egg shells to her feed directly isn't a great idea.
How long have you had them? More time in your better environment may help too.
Mary

I feed them scratch and peck Organic soy and corn free 18% layer feed. I also sprout lentils and feed them those 2x a week. I have never checked the mill date. She is my only hen with issue. I have had them for about 3 weeks now. Her shells have gotten a bit better but I have not been seen much improvement at all.

 

[Abrios]

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy. View attachment 2473738

I have calcium citrate that I give to my kiddo, and D3 in a separate pill. Could I give them seperately?

 

[Abrios]

I'm glad you were able to get rid of the lice.

For her, I would try giving Caltrate (1/2 tablet) once a day for 5 days to see if that makes a difference. I know some will suggest to give more than 5 days but you can overdo calcium.

Hopefully this will help firm up the egg shells.

Where were they rescued from? Photos?
Are they Ex Batts?

Since she's a "rescue " and a production breed, she may be starting to have some reproductive issues, but I would consider de-worming as well. You can get a fecal float performed by your vet to see if that's needed or if that's not doable, then just de-worm. You can find Fenbendazole (Safeguard) at TSC. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days. This will take care of most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworms.

I should treat all of them for worms, right? I have been keeping an eye on their poop and everything looks pretty normal.

 

[Folly's place]

Only a fecal run at the vet's will tell about intestinal parasites, mostly not visible looking at poo in the yard.
If that feed is a whole grain type, some birds will pick out the yummy stuff and leave the rest, especially the powder that's the vitamin/ mineral mix. Some people soak it in water, or ferment it, so everyone eats the whole mix.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might look through these links to see what they say about soft egg shells.

Egg Quality Handbook

https://thepoultrysite.com/publications/egg-quality-handbook

Sumi – Egg Quality

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

When something like this happens if it is a one-off, well I consider we are all entitled to an oops every now and then. But she is consistent so this is not an oops. She has an issue.

When I have an issue I try to determine if it is a flockwide issue or a single chicken issue. I see no reason to treat the entire flock if they are all doing OK except for one. Why mess the others up? From what I read you are right to treat her individually.

With her beak cut off (probably the top beak only) there is a real good chance she is an ex-battery hen. They do that to keep them from eating each other when they pack them in tightly. From your story my guess is probably two years old. Not sure if you are north or south of the equator, the time of the year may be involved.

With the beak cut off some can have problems eating certain things. They can't pick some things up. Some can have more problems than others. The commercial operations solve that problem by feeding a wetted mash, made into a paste. They do not offer anything other than that mash, not even grit. Your fermented feed may take care of that but can she even pick up the oyster shells. They need a certain amount of calcium to make good shells, the egg shells in the fermented feed may not be enough. And she may not be getting a balanced diet form her food if she can only pick up certain things.

Sometimes these things are caused by a defect in the hen herself, maybe a defective shell gland or her body doesn't process what calcium she eats properly to make it available. With her being kind of small I wonder about that. But also patience is sometimes rewarded. I'd give her the opportunity to get better.

Good luck!