Soft shell egg?

[henney]

What causes a soft shell. This is her first egg, she is a RIR and is 21wks old. I found the soft shell egg under the roost this am when I let them out of the hen house. My girls have been eating layer pellets for the past three wks and they get fresh greens daily with a treat of grapes with oyster shell in the run. My other RIR's eggs are hard shell, she has been laying for a week now. They are same age and free range. Does it take some pullets longer to get the hang of knowing when to lay?

 

[katrinag]

When my orloff started to lay she had a couple soft shell eggs then poof normal hard egg shells. Give it some time.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I think it is just the stress of starting to lay for some birds, give her time and it should correct itself.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

yea It just that she is a new layer and may not have everything in here system running right yet.

 

[Attack Chicken]

give her oyster shell

 

[henney]

They free range on oyster shell in their run. I think it's taking her longer to get things working normal. She eats layer pellets also.

 

[dospuercos]

I almost wonder if it something else because the egg was found under the roost. My 2 RIR's have been laying brown eggs for about 2 1/2 months & once in a while I will find a soft-shelled egg under their roost in the morning. A few times I have even found 2 soft-shelled eggs under their roosting spot. Sometimes they will still lay an egg later in the day although it is white, thin-shelled & oddly shaped. I was wondering if they sometimes "drop" eggs at night for some reason?? Any ideas??? They also eat all the oyster shell they want.

 

[Attack Chicken]

I have seen and heard that when a hen is going to lay a soft shelled egg she doesn't lay it in her nest box because she is so uncomfortable. I have found most of my soft shells out in the yard. Never in a nest box.

 

[Sequin]

I found a soft shelled egg this a.m. too. It was already broken though. It may have been layed from a roosting hen(?)

I am going to go with the 'new layer' theory, at least for now.

 

[mipsy6]

I had an experience a while ago where my RIR laid 3 soft shells in one day! She had been laying hard shells for a while, and then suddenly 3 softies. I think it may have been something in her diet, but I couldn't say for sure. She laid all three in random places--one standing up on a hillside--so I think they kind of came without her realizing they were coming.