Hello I have 4 hens that have been laying for 2 months now. One hen is laying soft shell eggs. I feed them layer pellets plus bread fruits veggies any bugs they catch and i let them out of the pen daily. They also have oyster shell when they want it. What can I do to help this hen with her eggs?
Some hens lay soft shells at first. The eggs should get harder shells later. Welcome to Back Yard Chickens !
Thanks for the quick reply. Should it take longer than 2 months for the eggs to have harder shells? She has laid over 40 eggs.
I would think not. Just a few weeks. You have a special chicken... It sounds like you are doing everything right. Although I only know what I have read or heard. There are a lot more people more educated than me on here. Steven
Hi! IMO, It shouldn't take more than a few eggs for the shell to harden up. Technically, if they need added calcium they will eat oyster shell. I suggest you might look at the actual guaranteed analysis and calcium content of your feed and with hold all snacks that aren't high in calcium for a week or two. Keep us posted!
Hi Small Flock! If you put "soft eggs" in the search box at the top of this page, you will find a couple of threads about this. I also have hens(8) who have not been laying for very long. When they started laying I was finding two soft eggs at a time. I think it happened twice. Then it stopped. My girls have been eating an organic layer feed since the first one laid an egg. I also give them oyster shell on the side, and they have grit up the you know what. Two weeks ago I got a "double yoker". Then a week ago, I had a day of two more soft eggs. The next day, right in front of me, the poor girl laid a soft egg, and then a yolk. That was when I knew the identity of the one with the problem. I started researching on here, and on google. Since it seemed she was totally healthy, I needed to figure out why she wasn't getting her calcium. I discovered online that kale is high in both calcium, AND potassium which is necessary to process the calcium. I have been feeding kale in the afternoon, and for the past two days she has laid perfect eggs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue. What kind of hens do you have? The one with the problem is a silver lace wyandotte, "Chicken Noodle". I have 2 barred rocks, 2 RIR, 1 leghorn, 1 buff orpington, 1 welsummer.
I have a Silver Laced Cookoo Marans that also lays some eggs that are soft shelled or have a soft spot. She has been only laying around 2 1/2 weeks. She has laid some that are double yolked and the shell is hard. Then she has laid two in the same day and the morning one was hard but the evening one sotft. She then skips a day. She is laying on the floor also. If I let her out to free range before she has laid she will lay somewhere in the yard. My other chickens have normal eggs and lay in the nesting boxes. I have only 4 chickens and also have 4 Guinea Fowl ( 1 female and 3 males) They have top laying mash, oyster shells and I grind up egg shells and add to their mash. I will try the kale.
