Soft shell egg

In order to actually make use of the calcium the birds need the proper level of vitamin D or get enough sunlight in order to produce it.

Older birds require more calcium than young birds.

The shell gland also can have its own issues.

Likewise a major disturbance can cause a hen to go off cycle and pass an egg without it having enough time in the egg gland.

While commercial layer feed may have enough calcium in it, you need to understand that feeding the birds anything other than that feed will reduce the calcium level they get.

The other thing that is implicated in the production of soft shell eggs is heat stress.
 
thanks all of you for your input some good ideas, I do think heat is a big factor as in Spain at the moment it is very hot. My daughter went in today to collect eggs but the chicken was sat on the box and when she got off a while later there wasnt a egg, I suppose this is the joys to being new at laying.
 
i am also having the same problem (hopefully with just one chicken as i have 4 new layers and haven't figured out completely whose eggs are who's yet)

so i am trying to note who is sleeping where at night but it gets tricky sometimes... this morning i found one at the bottom of the roost and in the nest box, both the same color and soft underdevelopment so i am hoping its the same chicken.

the eggs sometimes get picked at and i am praying no egg eaters develop (i am hopefully counteracting this by putting a marble egg in the box to encourage not pecking them)

my question is if it is heat (or new egg layer) related it will cure itself over time? or will this chicken be prone to soft eggs anytime it is stressed?
 
I found this thread in searching for soft shelled eggs laid at night. For the last 2 nights there have been 2 soft shelled eggs laid. Found them on the poop board under the roosts. There are some interesting ideas here on why this is happening. My girls are 6 months old and have been laying for about a month, mostly normal eggs. They were sleeping on the coop floor, and I wanted them to roost at night to make cleanup easier, so I have been placing them on the roosts just after dark. They are slowly getting the message and a few go there on their own. So I have this change going on. I have 10 hens and between the day before (or after) and the nighttime, I'm getting more than 10 eggs. If you include the soft ones. Is this strange?
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Will this resolve on it's own?
I am giving oyster shell free choice in a separate dish.
Thanks for any help.
Kathy

Oh yeah, we've had our first 100+ degree days the last 2 days, and more expected all week.
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You almost anserwed all my questions before I ever post, New hens, soft eggs broken egg, under roost, in poop. I have 8 birds and not sure which one is laying, this is day 3 so not sure if it is because they are new layers or too young to know what to really do. I have build laying boxes but now think they are to small and will try something else. The girls will not even go into them. They just roost on the bar.
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How do I get them to go into a laying box and off of the roost? Thanks for info.
 
I put fake eggs in the nest box. Seemed like it helped. I only get occasional eggs outside the nest box. Maybe if you post a picture of the nest boxes someone might have an idea as to why they are not using them.
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