Soft shell eggs??!!!

[dawnpel]

I understand that some chickens lay soft shell eggs at the beginning....I have 6 RSL, one lays nice hard shell eggs....I have a couple dropping eggs from the roost and they are soft shell and I also have one who will lay where ever she happens to be standing. They are all 16 weeks old so I understand they are young. Does anyone know how long they may lay soft shell eggs? How do I get the ones (which I don't know which ones are doing it) to lay in the nest boxes? Even the floor would be better than dropping from roost!! LOL I do have a plastic egg in the nest boxes. Any help would be helpful...thanks Dawn

 

[Ridgerunner]

When they first start, some soft shelled eggs are possible, as well as many other strange things. It takes some of them a while to get the kinks out of their internal laying system. Normally these things clear up in a few days but don’t panic if you see this for a couple of weeks. I would either switch to Layer for the extra calcium or offer oyster shell on the side since they are laying. Neither will hurt them at this stage now that they are laying.

As far as getting them to lay in the nest box, patience and those fake eggs are probably your best friends. When they first start to lay, some don’t have control over the process. They just drop the egg wherever they are, either on the roost or on the coop or run floor. Once they learn control, their instincts will tell them to find a nest. As long as the eggs are being dropped randomly they don’t have control. If you find an egg in the same spot on the floor every time, that hen has decided that is a safe place to lay. They often think that if another hen has laid somewhere that is a safe place to lay so you will often see all or most of the eggs in one nest. Hopefully that will be in one of your nest boxes, not on the floor. So something else you can do is to remove any eggs on the floor as soon as you can.

Also if you see a hen settled onto a nest on the floor, move her. I’ve gone as far as to lock them in a nest until they lay. Don’t let them be comfortable laying that egg on the floor if you can help it.

Yours seem to be having more problems than normal, though yours are awfully young to start laying. I think that is why you are seeing so much. Also, if you have older hens in the flock, the young ones seem to follow their example. Yours are having to go purely by instinct. Egg laying is pretty complicated. To me it’s more amazing how many actually get it right to start with than that some occasionally have a rough start.

Good luck.

 

[dawnpel]

Quote:

 

[dawnpel]

Thank you Ridgerunner. I do offer oyster shell and they are on layer food. These are my first flock of chickens so I don't know that much. I kinda figured it was due to their young age. The first one to lay was only 15 weeks. This weekend they will be 16 weeks!! I do make sure to remove the eggs as soon as I see them. ( and I check often) LOL Should I stop free ranging them until they get the laying down packed? I haven't found any eggs outside the run. Thanks again for your help.