Soft-shelled Eggs!

[DuckDuckPromise]

Hi there friends! We have 2 White Chinese Geese, one boy and one girl, gotten in June of last year, so about 7 months old… I was under the idea that she would not start laying eggs until she was older than 1 year old, but much to my surprise, she laid her first eggs this week!! One of the coldest weeks of the year here! Silly goose. She laid 3 beautiful eggs this week, and they were perfect! And huge…
But the last two days she has laid “soft shelled” eggs that are just breaking as soon as she lays them. Nothing has changed in her daily routine, and Praise The Lord, she’s acting normal… do you guys know what’s going on? I know she’s still learning the ropes of laying, and usually eggs have some quirks the first little while, I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t something I needed to be doing to help!
Thanks in advance, and have a blessed day!!!

 

[Goosebaby]

Hi there friends! We have 2 White Chinese Geese, one boy and one girl, gotten in June of last year, so about 7 months old… I was under the idea that she would not start laying eggs until she was older than 1 year old, but much to my surprise, she laid her first eggs this week!! One of the coldest weeks of the year here! Silly goose. She laid 3 beautiful eggs this week, and they were perfect! And huge…
But the last two days she has laid “soft shelled” eggs that are just breaking as soon as she lays them. Nothing has changed in her daily routine, and Praise The Lord, she’s acting normal… do you guys know what’s going on? I know she’s still learning the ropes of laying, and usually eggs have some quirks the first little while, I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t something I needed to be doing to help!
Thanks in advance, and have a blessed day!!!

Chinese are prolific layers and can start very early.

Does she have access to oyster shell? If you don’t have any on hand start offering her boiled chicken egg shells.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

Chinese are prolific layers and can start very early.

Does she have access to oyster shell? If you don’t have any on hand start offering her boiled chicken egg shells.

Oh goodness, I didn’t know they could eat that!! I have oyster shells for the chickens, and egg shells!! I’ll be sure to give them some, Lord’s Willing!!! The geese hang out with the ducks, so will it hurt the ducks if the oyster shell is out for the geese and the ducks get ahold of it?

 

[Warwickchickenhill]

Oh goodness, I didn’t know they could eat that!! I have oyster shells for the chickens, and egg shells!! I’ll be sure to give them some, Lord’s Willing!!! The geese hang out with the ducks, so will it hurt the ducks if the oyster shell is out for the geese and the ducks get ahold of it?

No your ducks should have oyster shells available at all times

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

No your ducks should have oyster shells available at all times

Oh my word, I was doing it all wrong! They shall ALL have shells
Thank you both so much!!

I guess I figured their bills couldn’t eat the shells like the hard chicken beaks could! Learn something new everyday!!

 

[Goosebaby]

Oh goodness, I didn’t know they could eat that!! I have oyster shells for the chickens, and egg shells!! I’ll be sure to give them some, Lord’s Willing!!! The geese hang out with the ducks, so will it hurt the ducks if the oyster shell is out for the geese and the ducks get ahold of it?

They’ll eat it if they’re in need of it, usually. Sometimes it can take them a bit to figure out what it is.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

They’ll eat it if they’re in need of it, usually. Sometimes it can take them a bit to figure out what it is.

Thank you!! Do your birds prefer store bought oyster shell or chicken egg shells?

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you!! Do your birds prefer store bought oyster shell or chicken egg shells?

At first they preferred egg shells because I don’t think they knew what oyster shell was, but now they’ll eat whichever if they need it.