Soft Eggs

[djseraphim]

My Rosie just started laying this week. I have 3 of my chickens that are of age for finisher food but my other 3 are under 18 weeks so I can't feed them it. I put oyster shells in there for them to eat when they want...but every egg has been super soft and deflated. I can't separate them for feeding so I'm at a loss as to what to do to get her calcium levels up without hurting the rest of my flock. Thoughts?

 

[casportpony]

Do you know which ones are laying the softies? If so, you could give them human calcium citrate pills orally.

 

[djseraphim]

Yes only 1 out of my whole flock. The other 2 should be right behind her but I'm very surprised she already started laying...I had them written down towards the end of august for that...

 

[djseraphim]

I found this on Amazon - Does it matter all these extras are in it?

Bluebonnet Nutrition Liquid Calcium Citrate Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Bone Health, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Milk Free, Kosher, 16 fl oz, 32 Servings, Strawberry Flavor

 

[casportpony]

I found this on Amazon - Does it matter all these extras are in it?

Bluebonnet Nutrition Liquid Calcium Citrate Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Bone Health, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Milk Free, Kosher, 16 fl oz, 32 Servings, Strawberry Flavor

I suggest something like this.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Keep in mind this is a young, new layer, so some glitches are expected and normal and she may normalize shell development without any supplements.

That said, if it doesn't resolve itself: isolate her for a private breakfast. 2-3x a week serve a small bowl (like 1 Tbsp is fine) of wet or fermented feed with oyster shell mixed in. If she does not like chunks of oyster shell, crush it up or use the powdery remnants from bottom of the bag. Should only take her a minute to eat and after that she's free to go.

If it works you should see results in a week or two, and you can try reducing it to 1-2x a week and should hopefully continue getting good results.

 

[Perris]

Keep in mind this is a young, new layer, so some glitches are expected and normal and she may normalize shell development without any supplements.

I second that; I would just wait a while to see if it sorts itself out within the next couple of weeks.