Soft-Shelled/Shell-less Eggs

[emmagat]

Hello All! I have a bantam easter egger that is a year + a few months old. She seems very healthy and isn’t picked on or bullied by anyone else in the flock. However, I notice that every once in a while (which is too common for my liking), she’ll lay a soft shelled or completely shell-less egg with only a membrane. She is the only one in the flock who does this, and the other hen that came from the same hatchery (don’t know if they’re related or not) is completely normal. Not sure if it’s a calcium deficiency, as the others lay normally, or if it’s something more sinister. Any help is greatly appreciated, so thank y’all in advance!!

 

[Ebony Rose]

How long has she been laying? If only for a month or two, I'd chalk it up to 'working out the kinks'. If however this has been a recurring issue over say, a half-year, she may have an infection or deformity of her shell gland or she may be deficient in calcium or Vitamin-D. A Vitamin-D deficiency looks a lot like a calcium deficiency because it is responsible for calcium absorption.
If she were my hen, and if this were a long-standing, recurring issue, I'd offer calcium and Vitamin-D supplementation with oyster shell or crushed eggshell plus a vitamin supplement added to all sources of her water. If you see no improvement, then I'd consider infection or deformation in her reproductive tract. Not knowing where in the world you are, and the laws on obtaining antibiotics there, you may need to have her seen by a Veterinarian if dietary solutions don't remedy her problem. Rubber eggs, as I usually call the shell-less variety, are incredibly difficult for a hen to pass and should one break inside of her, could spell disaster.
Best of luck with your girl, and I'm hoping for the best.

 

[emmagat]

How long has she been laying? If only for a month or two, I'd chalk it up to 'working out the kinks'. If however this has been a recurring issue over say, a half-year, she may have an infection or deformity of her shell gland or she may be deficient in calcium or Vitamin-D. A Vitamin-D deficiency looks a lot like a calcium deficiency because it is responsible for calcium absorption.
If she were my hen, and if this were a long-standing, recurring issue, I'd offer calcium and Vitamin-D supplementation with oyster shell or crushed eggshell plus a vitamin supplement added to all sources of her water. If you see no improvement, then I'd consider infection or deformation in her reproductive tract. Not knowing where in the world you are, and the laws on obtaining antibiotics there, you may need to have her seen by a Veterinarian if dietary solutions don't remedy her problem. Rubber eggs, as I usually call the shell-less variety, are incredibly difficult for a hen to pass and should one break inside of her, could spell disaster.
Best of luck with your girl, and I'm hoping for the best.

Thank you! She’s a little over a year old and she has laid roughly 5-6 of these that i’ve seen. She does and has laid normal eggs, but I might have to take her to the vet if vitamin D and calcium don’t work. Do you know how much vitamin D and calcium I should give her? I don’t want her to overdose on it or anything, she’s one of my favorites. Thanks!

 

[Ebony Rose]

Calcium served as oyster shell or ground eggshell can be given in a side dish, let her eat as much of this as she wants. Directions will be on the package for whichever vitamin supplement you pick up at the feed store, dispose of any premixed vitamin water after 24 hours (whether offered in their waterer or in a separate container and not used yet), time can cause some rather unsavory (and dangerous) things to grow in it. I am very fond of using a product called ChickBooster (TM) for vitamin & mineral supplementation. I give it to my chickens and my quail. My day old chicks get a drop at the beak as I move them out of the incubator and into the brooder. My adult birds enjoy it too. It has a VERY impressive grocery list of vitamins and minerals that can be offered directly as a drop at the beak, or mixed in their water. It apparently tastes good to chickens too, as my flock have been offered both mixed and plain water, side by side, and this vitamin water seems to always have less in the waterer by day's end. I buy it by the liter, but they also sell tiny bottles (about the size of a Visine bottle).

 

[aart]

Hello All! I have a bantam easter egger that is a year + a few months old. She seems very healthy and isn’t picked on or bullied by anyone else in the flock. However, I notice that every once in a while (which is too common for my liking), she’ll lay a soft shelled or completely shell-less egg with only a membrane. She is the only one in the flock who does this, and the other hen that came from the same hatchery (don’t know if they’re related or not) is completely normal. Not sure if it’s a calcium deficiency, as the others lay normally, or if it’s something more sinister. Any help is greatly appreciated, so thank y’all in advance!!

What all and how exactly are you feeding?

Some birds don't process calcium as well as others,
I have had a few of those.

It could also be that she is getting ready to stop laying with the shorter days,
you can get some funky eggs during that time.

I'm assuming you are in the northern hemisphere but....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!