soft shelled eggs

[chdkgu]

One of my hens (don't know which one has in the past week and a half laid 3 eggs that have soft squishy shells. She lays them in odd places, like on top of a wooden table, not in the nesting boxes. In between she has laid at least one egg that had a normal shell. (one day I had the same number of eggs as I have chickens). All the other eggs I get have very hard shells.
About 3 weeks ago I switched to Flock raiser food because the 17 chicks and 7 ducklings were 8 weeks old and moved into the main coop. Once they are old enough I will put everyone back on layer food. In the mean time I make oyster shells available to the big girls and they do eat them.
Does anyone know why I have gotten 3 eggs with almost no shell? maybe they are not from the same chicken I can't be sure. I have 6 EEs and I get between 4 and 6 good eggs a day. Is there something I should be doing to prevent this or is this something that happens form time to time?

 

[earlybird10842]

One of my hens (don't know which one has in the past week and a half laid 3 eggs that have soft squishy shells. She lays them in odd places, like on top of a wooden table, not in the nesting boxes. In between she has laid at least one egg that had a normal shell. (one day I had the same number of eggs as I have chickens). All the other eggs I get have very hard shells.
About 3 weeks ago I switched to Flock raiser food because the 17 chicks and 7 ducklings were 8 weeks old and moved into the main coop. Once they are old enough I will put everyone back on layer food. In the mean time I make oyster shells available to the big girls and they do eat them.
Does anyone know why I have gotten 3 eggs with almost no shell? maybe they are not from the same chicken I can't be sure. I have 6 EEs and I get between 4 and 6 good eggs a day. Is there something I should be doing to prevent this or is this something that happens form time to time?

It does sound like a feed problem--could it be one hen that doesn't eat the oyster shell?
Could you find a way to feed your older birds seperatly twice a day

 

[chdkgu]

Thank you for your thoughts on the issue. I have been doing more research and since all the regular eggs have a really thick hard shell, I don't think it is diet. We have recently added (in the past 3 weeks) 17 chickens and 7 ducks to my original flock of only 7 chickens. I have read that stress and changes in the flock can cause eggs without shells. Also being startled in the night, and ducks are more active at night than chickens. The eggs are only laid very very early in the morning, so I am thinking it is age (one chicken is 3+ year), stress of changes due to additions to the flock, and or being startled by the ducks at night.
I am hoping they all adjust soon, and if for some reason it is calcium in an other month they will all be eating layer food.

 

[earlybird10842]

Thank you for your thoughts on the issue. I have been doing more research and since all the regular eggs have a really thick hard shell, I don't think it is diet. We have recently added (in the past 3 weeks) 17 chickens and 7 ducks to my original flock of only 7 chickens. I have read that stress and changes in the flock can cause eggs without shells. Also being startled in the night, and ducks are more active at night than chickens. The eggs are only laid very very early in the morning, so I am thinking it is age (one chicken is 3+ year), stress of changes due to additions to the flock, and or being startled by the ducks at night.
I am hoping they all adjust soon, and if for some reason it is calcium in an other month they will all be eating layer food.

Yes, it could also be stress. Glad you figured it out!

 

[jackcooper]

I have the same issue I have a young hen who lays really thin shells in random places but I have been researching and can not find out why she is doing this

what did you do in the end?