Soft shelled eggs

[NotSoChickenLove]

Try less free ranging. She may not be eating enough layers feed to get enough vitamins, nutrients and calcium.
I let my girls out to free range 2 hours before sunset. This way they eat plenty of layers feed during the day to get all nutrients and vitamins needed for a strong shell. I also provide oyster shell in a separate container. GC

I think you're quite right. The girl with the soft shells is head chicken, and I think she's taking more than her fair share of anything other than laying pellets. I've seen her elbowing her way in to take bugs off the other chicken. We're all finding our feet with this arrangement, because these are my first chickens. I've mixed some oyster shell into their pellets and shut them in the run for a bit. Head chicken lady is chowing down like she's never been fed. Hopefully this solves the problem. I did not expect to have to become an expert in chicken politics to be a good chicken mama! I really had no idea what I was getting into, despite the masses of reading on chicken care that I did!

 

[NotSoChickenLove]

Two normal eggs today. Long may it continue!

 

[aart]

Try less free ranging. She may not be eating enough layers feed to get enough vitamins, nutrients and calcium.
I let my girls out to free range 2 hours before sunset. This way they eat plenty of layers feed during the day to get all nutrients and vitamins needed for a strong shell. I also provide oyster shell in a separate container. GC

This is important, you can give all the calcium in various form that you want, but if they don't have enough of the vitamins/minerals/amino acids needed to process that calcium and turn it into egg shell... the calcium supplements won't do any good.

Two normal eggs today. Long may it continue!

From this same bird?!

 

[NotSoChickenLove]

This is important, you can give all the calcium in various form that you want, but if they don't have enough of the vitamins/minerals/amino acids needed to process that calcium and turn it into egg shell... the calcium supplements won't do any good.

From this same bird?!

Hahah, no two normals from two birds.
I've taken to shutting them in their run for an hour or so after their main feed is put down, so they fill up on the pellets first and foremost.

 

[NotSoChickenLove]

OK, I have another soft shell this morning. That's 4 in a week, every second day. She's laying normally in between and was laying normally before this started, but she's only been laying a few weeks. The strategy now is no scraps or anything but laying pellets until late afternoon when they can free range for an hour or so. I'm mixing oyster grit into the laying pellets. If anyone can suggest anything else, I'd love to hear it. And if anyone can tell me when this becomes a vet issue, I'd love to hear that also. Not overly sure what to do for a plan B if the strategy above doesn't solve the problem.

Just fyi, her pellets are a good, commercial quality peak layers pellet that's designed as a complete diet, 18% ruminant protein.

 

[aart]

Patience...it takes some time for a diet change to bring results.
I would only maybe sprinkle few oyster shell bits on top of the feed per day,
but still have a separate container available.

You're in winter over there, that can have an impact too.

 

[NotSoChickenLove]

Patience...it takes some time for a diet change to bring results.
I would only maybe sprinkle few oyster shell bits on top of the feed per day,
but still have a separate container available.

You're in winter over there, that can have an impact too.

I think it's diet for sure. I gave her pellets today that would normally have a few sunflower seeds mixed in, but won't from now on. She flicked them all out of the bowl looking for seeds and then looked at me in disgust. My guess is that she's been hogging ALL the yummies and eating very few pellets. From now on, any treats will just be fed by hand, so I can make sure they each only have a few seeds. Greedy little madam! I've also only let them out to range for an hour before bed, and got them back into the coop in time for some pellets and a good drink before nesting. I hope this is just a case of an overly-indulgent new chicken mother screwing things up.