Soft shell eggs from new layer help please?

[happyvalleyherbals]

Hi, I have 2 New hampshires pullets just started laying.
2nd girl is in her first week and I have had 3 eggs that have no hard shell in a week. The membrane wont even hold the egg in one piece.
I have had them for 4 weeks now. Two girls and a Roo.

Is it a calcium shortage?. What should I do?

They have grains, layer pellets and a organic fine layer mash with crushed shell grit in there. They get let out every 2nd afternoon to free range.

I want to breed from these girls and want to keep them in best possible condition. Will start giving them some comfrey.

What else should I be giving them>
p.s. I am in Qld, australia.
Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[TcherDawn]

I put out crushed oyster shell in a pan. Every time I have let it dwindle I get a soft shell egg. They eat it as needed I am guessing(I am new). But I am keeping my pan full now. And they dont like the powder, just the pieces of oyster shell.

 

[Sharisr32]

Oyster Shell so they get Calcium - Soft Shells are usually given by new lsyers maybe first couple but i always give them the oyster shell - fixies it right up

avail at most feed stores is sold at TSC but is expensive there 9 Ag Way 37 cents a pound TSC 6.00 + for a really pretty bag about 2 lbs of stuff

 

[happyvalleyherbals]

Great, thanks, I will get some today for them.

 

[chookchick]

TcherDawn--thanks for that observation! My hens were cowing down a lot of oystershell, even though they were on layer feed (young, new layers). I let the pan get down to powdery stuff and they weren't touching it, so I didn't refill it for about a week. That's when I started having problems with eggs disappearing! I have never actually caught one in the act, but have seen a lot of very suspicious behavior like craning their necks to peer into the nest constantly, hopping in and out, laying in the nest, but no egg is there later. And of course, a lack of eggs! I am putting oystershell back in their scratch mix, and keeping the pan full at all times. I hope, hope, I can get them back onto a track of laying good hard eggs and not eating them. (I know that when my older hens laid soft shell eggs they ate at least part of them).

 

[cmom]

Sometimes I mix some plain yogurt in some feed for them which has calcuim or feed them their egg shells crushed up. Sometimes I mix the egg shells in with their yogurt mixture.

 

[happyvalleyherbals]

I went to get some oyster shell grit today and the produce only had shell grit. This was from crushed up beach shells.

Is this still high in calcium and okay?

They sell alot of it. In fact, its the only one they sell!!.

 

[ssteiner]

Don't get too wound up over soft shells (and even shell-less) eggs in the first months of laying. They're still juveniles and their bodies are still getting used to this whole "egg laying" business. They even out as they mature and you'll see fewer and fewer such incidents. Of course I agree to have a small amount of crushed oyster shell present, but I wouldn't conclude that pullets who've only been laying for a week who lay soft shelled eggs are doing so because of some calcium deficiency. Good luck!

Scott

 

[happyvalleyherbals]

Update on soft shelled eggs.
The hen has stopped the soft shells as Scott suggested

and yesterday layed a whopping 101gram egg

Whoooeeee, that must of hurt!!!

Thanks again everyone for the advice

 

[balticbabe]

One of my 18 months old girls started laying cracked and/or soft shelled eggs recently. This hasn’t been a problem before and only one of the hens does this. They have oyster shell available and eat layer pellets. These weak eggs are making a mess out the nest.

Any ideas?