Soft Shelled Egg Questions

[ccrow]

The shell is deposited on the rest of the egg before it's laid; if it's not on the egg, it just didn't form at all, for whatever reason.

 

[Buff-Island-Australorp]

I've had a few soft shelled eggs since my 9 hens started laying around the middle of August. I was concerned, BUT......I can almost guarantee there is nothing wrong with you chickens. Just give them time to work the bugs out. I now get anywhere from 7-9 eggs per day from them. And all of them have hard shells. (harder than store bought) They are actually kind of a pain in the butt to crack when using them. The shells crumble because you have to give it a couple smacks on the counter to get them to break. And the lining on the inside of the egg is hard to open too. They have "free choice" oyster shell, but I don't think they touch it.
I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[Auscal]

I have a 25 week old delaware that sometimes lays those "squishy' eggs. I had never considered eating them - they are just too weird. What I have noticed is that if she lays one of these, it is late in the evening - and, she doesn't lay the next morning. The eggs she does lay in the morning have shells that are nice & hard. In my mind - I think that these squishy evening eggs have passed through her too quickly, and the shell hasn't had time to properly form. If she doesn't drop one in the evening - by the next morning the shell has had a chance to form properly. The evening eggs she just drops wherever she is, hard shelled morning eggs are always in the nestbox. I will admit I don't fully understand the entire egg forming process, so, this may not be correct, but, it seem logical to me.

She has been laying for about 5 weeks now, I am hoping this problem will resolve itself - maybe she needs to do her kegel exercises.....

 

[Noymira]

I've got 7 hens laying now, been getting eggs since the end of June, just had my first soft shelled egg the other night. It was on the poop board under the roost. I think it was just a fluke, I'm sure every once in a while (maybe more when they start laying) it just happens. Sounds like they have all the right feed and supplements, just give it time.

I wouldn't be worried unless it continues for more than a month with more than one bird. I'm sure sometimes you get a bird who just doesn't form shells correctly, but that's probably not that common.

I too didn't even think about eating it, it just seemed too weird!

 

[herpsss]

The shell is formed by a gland in the oviduct- cant remember the name of the gland - but it forms the shell..this might be why folks get soft or no shell eggs in beginning...gland getting regulated. Just be sure the hens are getting plenty of calcium and you should be ok. So there wont be a shell stuck up there. If ever just a bunch of yolk came out with no membrane holding it together then she might have been eggbound and the shell cracked and could be up there still...but it still may pass on its own.
Good luck! I only have one hen that is old enough to lay..free range..just found 4 eggs this weekend while gardening...had no idea she was laying! One was in the fire pit under some brush

crazy chick!
Oh, and i know this from parrots..work for an avian vet...for those of you that see my " new egg" status

im just new to chickens.

 

[whitehart]

Great info! Yep we're doing oyster shells since going to layer about two months now. We put oyster shells right into their feed so I know they are getting enough. Shells are really hard which as you suggest should be safer for hens to pass without breaking. This time I didn't throw away the egg but hard boiled it for the dogs breakfast tomorrow .It's just the two of us but we have 12 Norwich Terriers and three Westies mostly retired show dogs but several younger Norwich that we are getting ready for shows. The addition of eggs to their diets should make for beautiful coats.

 

[rjlanger2]

I have gotten a few soft shelled or no shell eggs. I mix oyster shell with their feed and also add some with their scratch. The soft shell issue usually resolves itself as they get into a routine and lay more .

I have one hen that lays "thin" shell eggs. This has been going on for over a year. If the egg "survives" the rest of them laying, I have one more egg that I can use (just have to be careful with it since the shell is thin!). If it breaks, I just clean it up and wait till the next day to see if she lays another.

I don't eat the eggs with no shell. I don't know if they are edible or not. If the shell is just thin, as long as the egg is intact and there is no leakage, I consider OK to eat.

Bob

 

[troyerchar]

Tonight, (our pullets are 4 1/2 months old) I believe I found the first egg in their run. A hen was pecking at it. It was small, light beige brown, and looked like a deflated balloon. A couple of days ago one hen was crowing the "egg laying song" all morning. They have a clean coop with an enclosed attached run. During the day they free range in our grassy 2500 sq feet of fenced in back yard. They have been on laying feed supplemented with oyster shell, scratch grain treats once a day, and rarely a few garden vegetables or torn up table bread. They are healthy, eat and drink well. We are new to raising chickens. 7 hens with one rooster.... All are Rhode Island reds. If this was a first egg, the chickens ate most of it leaving only the torn soft, rubbery shell. It may have been layed under the coop where they rest frequently during the heat of the day. What do you think??!? Was this a first soft shelled egg? Is it normal for them to eat it? Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you in advance!

** signed, Newbie chicken parents

 

[Lydia77]

I went out to tuck my girls in and one hen was standing outside of the coop, all fluffed up and standing kind of funny... I coaxed her into the pen and she was walking funny. I thought she may be hurt so I bent down to pick her up and she took a step and .... PLOP! One rubber egg fell out on the ground! My hens are still young and all of them are not laying so I think this was her very first egg and she didn't know what to do..... That's the first rubber egg I have gotten though. All of mine eat layered crumbles and have oyster shells available so I really think it'll be fine. All the rest have been hard. I'm like most of you and I think she's just figuring it out and I'm hoping her eggs will get hard in a couple days...... and ..... I don't think I'll be eating this one! lol

 

[ChickKies]

I found one outside tonight when I went to tuck my ladies in. The first soft shell I have found.