Soft shelled eggs for about 2 months

lissalischicks

Crowing
8 Years
Jan 31, 2016
589
1,120
286
Los Angeles, California
So, I am concerned about one of my Easter Eggers. She is about 1.5 years old and was laying great with no problems until about 2 months ago. She started laying soft eggs or shell less eggs. I have been feeding the girls starter and grower feed due to the chicks that were hatched about about 4-5 months ago but have free oyster shell available. During our hot spell a few months back she was laying fine but then then all the sudden the soft shelled or shell less eggs. At first I thought it was just a fluke that happens once in a blue moon but this has been pretty consistent, almost every egg. She has laid a semi hard egg about 2-3 times but the majority have been soft. For the past two weeks at night I see her tail down and she does not forage or walk around with the girls after 6pmish. Instead she heads into the house and roosts. Then around 8pm to midnight she lays a soft egg. The next day, she goes into the nesting box and sits like she is going to lay and egg and after a few hours, comes off the nest and walks and runs around like everything is normal. For the past week, I have been giving her a bit of liquid calcium before she heads into the roost to see if it will help. This has been going on for months now and I am a little concerned and I know this can't be normal. She also has not started her molt yet. Any ideas on how I could help her?
 
I did look up Newcastle Disease but I don't think that is it. Could I be in denial... yes but the only symptoms she has is the eggs. It also looks like from time of catching to death is around 15 days and she has been doing this for about 2 months. All my other girls are fine. thank goodness.

Just looked up Infectious Bronchitis and she doesn't appear to have any of the symptoms. I check her everyday to make sure I don't see anything. Because of all the girls, I know it's hard to see which poop is hers but I clean the poop everyday and haven't noticed anything odd.

Odd thing is, she is laying technically everyday! Her appetite has not gone down and she her energy is not decreased. Having been said that, I do understand I could be missing something :idunnoCould it be anything else?
 
The laying of soft shelled eggs is not a symptom of these 2 diseases but a side effect that is found in survivors.

That is the reason that I refuse to treat sick hens or roosters. For the health and safety of the flock the sick should be culled. Anything less only leads to problems. However I doubt that anyone will take my advice.
 
I would still keep her. I think you might want to feed layer. I recommend Nature Wise by Nutrena but more specifitly Hearty Hen 18% pellets. Give her and the other chickens grit and oyster shells all the time
 
@chickengeorgeto I get what you are saying.... but my heart doesn't.

In general I am switching to layer in a few days as the chicks will be 18 weeks and I am also probably going to run out of grower feed. I am switching to feather fixer as 2 of my girls have started their molt. I have grit and oyster shell out all the time as well. Maybe the switch will do the trick ???
 
Could the soft eggs be from the stress of the chicks? the mom that hatched them is higher in the pecking order and was a little mean to them. I don't see it now that the chicks are almost 18 weeks but she started with the soft eggs a couple months after they hatched .... or is that too far fetched
 
Have you taken a good look at the abdomen, from below vent to between her legs?
Is it swollen?
Is her tail always down?
Any idea how her poops look...good and solid or runny?
 
Yes I have checked her vent and abdomen and looks and feels normal. Vent does not look swollen and no evidence of runny diarrhea on the feathers around her vent. I also checked to make sure no residual part of an egg is seen stuck around the vent just in case. The witnessed poop looks normal in texture and color. Also no abnormal looking poop anywhere. Her tail is always up but goes down around 600pm. The next day she is back to normal until 6pm. The day she does not "lay" an egg her tail does not go down.
 

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