Soft Shell eggs?? I am at a loss??

[Ericasl]

I am sorry if this is a long post: I have never gotten soft shelled eggs till about a week and a half ago. my hens are all about a year old they were eating 20% layer crumbles till about a week ago, the feed store was out so I had to get 16% laying crumbles(maybe this could be my problem?). They have a acre to free range, I have oystershell and grit out for them in a dog dish and they eat a good size bowl about everyweek, they have lots of clean water, food 24/7. I just wormed everyone about 2 weeks ago Ivomec, and dusted with DE and seven. They also had a round of antibotic PER the vet in the does he told me, I had a few hens I took in for sneezing he told me to give the meds and worm them. They also did a fecel float it came back fine. I have give them yogurt and oatmeal, trying to give them some good stuff back in there tummys. I can start keeping my eggs as of today. I am getting big nice eggs from most of my girls but I am finging a soft shelled egg or just york about everyday!! What is going on??

 

[beefy]

its probably just one hen with the problem and she may not be eating the oystershell like she needs to. she could be the low girl on the totem pole too. how many hens are eating a dogfood bowl of oystershell per week?!

 

[Wynette]

That's an awful lot of changes, too. Sometimes it just takes time for them to understand/get used to a new routine when food is changed, and meds are given. Plus a new home.

I'm a little confused as to why your vet would recommend antibiotics if the faecal came back negative, though?

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
That is disturbing, considering how hard wormer can be on them why would you need to worm them if they don't have worms?

 

[Ericasl]

I have 29 hens that eat the oyster shell it is a small size dog bowl about a cup to 1 1/2 cup. The vet thought it could be a respitory thing (sorry bad speller here) I also has some sneezing snotty hens at home, so the thought it would be a good idea to give them a dose of the antibotic. Which has seemed to do the trick no more snezzing or snot. I just feel bad for how ever is doing the soft shell thing, if I knew who it was I would seperate them and give extra TLC, but everyone looks great. So that is my problem, it also scares me they will turn in to eggs eaters with yokes laying around, I have been going out every hour or so to check.

Thanks
Erica

PS they got the wormer because they had lice and they had never been wormed, also the test came back after I had wormed them.

PSS If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this please let me know. I also chrushed up some of the oyster shell very well and mixed it with there food just to make sure they were getting enough.

 

[seriousbill]

I also crushed up some of the oyster shell very well and mixed it with there food just to make sure they were getting enough.

That should help, actually.​