Soft Shells??

[MeredithLindsay]

Over the past four weeks or so I’ve gotten four soft shelled eggs. I have four ISA browns and no idea who is laying them. Some days I get four braids eggs and other days they’ll be a random soft one that’s broken either in the run, or this morning in the nesting box. I offer oyster shells and baked crushed egg shells. They free range about 80% of the day and eats plenty of grass and worms and whatever else they find I suppose. Nobody seems sick. They are 7 months old and have been laying for 3 months now. Is this just a glitch in the system? Anything to be concerned about?

 

[CluckerFamily]

What feed to you feed them; layer, all flock?
Do you provide any other treats throughout the days?

 

[MeredithLindsay]

Organic layer feed from Tractor. Occasional strawberries, scratch maybe once every 10ish days? Not really many treats since they free range.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Sometimes removing treats can make the eggs have hard shells because they get more nutrients from their feed than treats.
Not allowing them to free range is a thought but my flock would be very angry with me if I didn’t let them free range.
Are they new layers?

 

[MeredithLindsay]

Sometimes removing treats can make the eggs have hard shells because they get more nutrients from their feed than treats.
Not allowing them to free range is a thought but my flock would be very angry with me if I didn’t let them free range.
Are they new layers?

Mine would be so upset too they have only been laying since January so not long but this is a new phenomenon in the last month-ish. The first one was a few weeks ago when she accidentally got locked out of the coop during a thunderstorm. (She was hiding underneath and my husband didn’t see her when he locked them in for the night. I found her about an hour later, super scared with a broken soft egg underneath.) I chalked that one up to stress. These three others though I’m unsure.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I usually add oyster shell if I feel egg shells are thin, or I get a soft egg.

 

[aart]

I offer oyster shells and baked crushed egg shells.

How are these provided?
Are they eating them?

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I buy the shells already broken up at the feed store. I usually just mix some in with the feed... the birds seem to know if the want is or not. I have also put it out like I do grit. For grit I put that in a separate old pie pan, and use the right size for the birds size/age or supply multiple sizes of grit for mixed size and age flock. I pretty much just mix it in the feed now. I don't really measure it, I probably should but as long as I can see it mixed in I feel that is good. I hope this helps.

 

[aart]

as long as I can see it mixed in I feel that is good

OS really shouldn't be mixing in to the feed, especially if it's layer feed.
better to have it in a separate feeder so only those in need will eat it and you can keep an eye on consumption.
I use this jar for a OS and egg shell feeder.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/oyster-plastic-jar.7897731/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Averaging one soft shell a week with ISA Brown pulletss that have been laying about three months. It sounds like all of them normally lay eggs with good shells but I have a question about that. Does one typically lay a thin-shelled egg, just not soft? What shape are the other eggs in?

ISA Browns are commercial egg-laying hybrids especially bred to lay a lot of decent sized eggs with a good feed to egg conversion ratio. They are egg laying specialists but that system can be a bit delicate. They are more prone to egg laying issues than our normal dual purpose hens. When I have this type of issue I like to figure out if it is an individual hen issue or a flockwide problem. That's why I'm asking about the other egg shells. I would not want to mess up the other hens if they are doing OK.

I offer oyster shells and baked crushed egg shells.

Aart asked a good question. How are you offering them?

They are 7 months old and have been laying for 3 months now. Is this just a glitch in the system? Anything to be concerned about?

If all the egg shells are thin then you have a systemwide problem. The flock is not getting enough calcium. Some hens process calcium a little differently than others. If the calcium intake is close to not enough maybe that difference is enough to cause this.

Sometimes that poor processing means a problem in the shell gland. It just doesn't work the way it is supposed to. If one pullet regularly produces thins shells compared to the others then it's probably an individual pullet problem.

Occasionally a hen or pullet accidentally releases two yolks a day instead of just one a day. If they are released at the same time you can get double yolked eggs. Are you seeing many double yolked eggs? If those yolks are released at separate times a hen can lay two eggs in one day. A hen usually produces a set amount of shell material in a day. If she lays a double yolked egg the shell might be a bit thin because it has to cover more volume. If she lays two in a day that shell material may be used on the first egg with none or not much left for the second. Commercial egg laying hybrids like ISA Browns have a finely tuned internal egg making factory. They can be prone to releasing two yolks in a day. This does not mean they all do, but that they are a bit more finely tuned than most dual purpose hens. Some dual purpose hens do this too.

The way the egg is put together it spends many hours in the shell gland where the shell is laid on. If something triggers the pullet or hen to lay the egg way early it could be shell-less or really thin-shelled.

Pullets just starting to lay are more prone to this type of glitch but yours have been laying for three months. They should be over those start-up glitches.

I'm not that concerned over an occasional glitch. I have enough "oops" moments myself that I can feel some sympathy. Once a week is getting kind of consistent though. You may have a pullet with a problem. It's probably an individual chicken problem, not a flockwide problem but I don't know that. Figuring out which one is doing it can be a real pain too.

I don't know if this helps or not. Good luck figuring it out.