Soft eggshell......... Should I be worried?

[chriskitty572]

My chicken Esmarelda laid her first egg on friday, and another on saturday. On sunday while checking the nest box, I found an egg with a very soft shell, in fact it had split and the yolk had come out of it.

I have cleaned out the coop, but main concern is, has poor Esmarelda laid too many eggs for a newbie? Is this why the shell was so soft?

There were no eggs today at all.

So I suppose what I am asking is does my chook have a deficiancy of some kind, or has she just overdone the egglaying?

 

[Imp]

That's normal for a new layer. She'll work out the details soon, then soft shelled eggs will be rare. You can offer supplemental calcium either oyster shell or calcium rich foods if you like.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

Imp

 

[irenew]

I think I would be worried. My hen started with softshells now she lays nothing. I've tried everything too.

 

[pgpoultry]

If your hen ha been laying eggs with normal shells and then starts to lay soft shelled eggs she could be calcium and/or vit. D deficient.

if the hen lays soft shelled eggs in spite of calcium and vitamin D supplements she probably has an ovarian problem. Can be genetic, infective, or a tumour. I have a hen who ha laid soft shelled eggs for a year and who probably has an ovarian tumour, but as she is not otherwise ill I will keep her until she shows any other sign of progressive disease or suffering. Her eggs are never intact!

A young hen will almost certainly start to lay normally after a few weeks, but DO supplement her,

Sandie

 

[clheck28]

My girls sometimes lay soft eggs. I have started giving them a calcium supplement like oyster shells. I give it to them with their snack. I give them their pellets in one tray and in another try they get a snack like scratch or fresh fruit and then I put the calcium in with that. I have noticed a significant improvement in the shell since then. Good luck!

 

[Chick CJ]

I have had two of my girls lay soft shelled eggs. The first one was a brand new layer and it was maybe only her thrid egg. She has never had another. The second girl it was after she had been laying for a few months. I always have oyster shells in a bowl in the run. I think unless it is a regular occurance you should not worry. As long as they are getting good food and water with oyster shell available then they should be fine. If they have some sort of inherant problem you will find out soon enough but I bet it fixes itself!
CJ

 

[chriskitty572]

Thank you all for your replies and advice.

I have been very lucky (and Esmerelda) I think. She laid and egg this morning and it was fine, a bit small but who cares.

I will keep her on the complete feed and the extra grit and shells that she was already having and see how it goes. I think as the last egg that she laid was a large one, and when we used it, it was a double yolker. It was probably just too much too soon.

But I think I will keep an eye on them in the future and if need be supplement thier feed.

Thank you all for your help and your prompt replies.

 

[gallusdomesticus]

This is good info from the Florida Extension service on problems with egg laying:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ps/ps02900.pdf