soft shell

[Flycropper]

I have 5 pullets and 3 of them started laying about 2 weeks ago. We may have any where from 2 to 3 eggs a day. My children and I race every day to the coop to see how many eggs we have. What fun!

Anyway, last night I was collecting eggs and had 5 but one of them had a very soft leathery shell. I think the others are starting to lay and wondered if the soft shell was one of the pullet's first egg.

I keep oyster shell in their coop in a feeder. This morning I mixed it into their feed as well.

Anything else I should be doing? I certainly don't want an egg bound hen.

 

[houndit]

Make sure and give them plenty of oyster shell. What kind of chickens are they. If they are a hybrid I have found that sometimes they will lay a soft egg for no reason.

 

[Flycropper]

Thanks. I've put more oyster shell in their coopn both free feed and mixed in with their layer feed.

I have 2 RIRs, 2 red sexlinks, 1 PBR, and 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte.

I think there have been two soft shells laid. Several days before I found this soft shell in their next I could see where a yolk had been eaten off the floor. I think one laid a soft shell then but they all ate it shell and all.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Are you feeding them layer pellets, mash, or crumbles? If not, switch to that. Also, mix the oyster shells or calcium chips right in with the feed.

 

[Gindee77]

I cracked an egg* today for breakfast and it had that sort of shell too. Mine are just starting to lay and they are getting layer feed and oyster shell grit. Most of our eggs have nice hard shells, but a couple of the first ones have been sort of pinkish and soft-shelled! I guess it just happens sometimes.

*I had to fry that egg up for the chickens tho, it had a lot of meat spots in it! ICK!!

We don't eat those, the girls get them back, but scrambled and fried so they don't realize they are eating eggs. I don't want them to get an egg jones going and help themselves to the fresh raw eggs they lay!!! Oh, and I also crush up the shells from their eggs and feed them back to them. I crush them up for the same reason, so they don't recognize them as eggs!

 

[dalostshaker]

My girls are just "coming of age" in the laying department. Once of them is giving me an egg every day and another one is starting....but she has laid two soft shelled eggs in as many days, never a hard one! I don't understand because our first bird is laying perfectly and the second is having some problems. We feed them laying mash and ground up eggshells and get this, my girls free range on an oyster rock! That's right, my dad is a commercial fisherman and we always have fresh seafood. We have a whole wall of clam, scallop and oyster shells on the property line. The girls are always eating around there and when we have crabs for dinner they get those shell remnents, too.
BUT, just out of curiousity....what are "meat spots?"