Soft shelled eggs!

[kiwilady]

My chickens (of which I have only a few so far) lay consistently. I provide pellets, greens, oyster shell grit. But one of the chickens lays eggs without shells at least once a week, laying eggs with shells in between times! Am I feeding something wrongly? Or could she have something wrong with her? They all seem happy and healthy.

 

[Mahonri]

she may not be taking advantage of the oyster shell. Some just do that. I'd say if she continues you may consider culling her.

I've boiled eggs without shells before and they taste the same as others, BUT the problem is if she punctures it you can end up with egg eaters... and then you end up culling the entire lot.

 

[kiwilady]

Ok, that makes sense....now all I have to do is work out which one it is! lol

 

[erinnyes]

I am having the same problem with one of my hens! She used to lay eggs consistently, and their shells were not very hard but were formed. Recently (like in the past month) she's been laying eggs every now and then that have thin, papery shells. Some hens (like her) are just more prone to laying eggs like this, because it hasn't been an issue with any of the other hens in the flock. I also use oyster shell and it hasn't solved the issue.

 

[kiwilady]

thanks erinnyes, at least I know it. isn't just me!

 

[vjbakke]

Maybe feed plain yogurt, our girls love it and they get a lot of calcium from it.

 

[Me & Jack]

I've had that problem before, too. Eventually my hen stopped laying altogether. Never figured out what was wrong, but there are some diseases and illnesses that cause soft-shelled eggs.