"squishy" eggs

[Auscal]

My 22 week old Delaware is doing some weird egg laying. I believe she has been laying for about three weeks. Fairly consistently, in the late afternoon she is dropping very soft shelled "squishy" eggs. I let the girls out for their evening roam about 6.30pm for an hour or so (their day run is about 35 ft X 35ft) before locking them in the smaller 12 X 8" run and coop for the evening. Every second or third evening she will drop one of these eggs, on occasion she has dropped two an hour or so apart. She barely seems aware she if laying them ,she just squats whereever she is foraging, then carries on. I know she has layed at least one hard shelled egg, but, I don't think she is regularly laying anything other than the soft shelled ones. The diet is organic laying pellets, oyster shell always available, and some garden greens, bugs etc. I have three RIR X Delawares the same age that are laying well. I have been willing to give her some time to "get in the groove" but, how long is long enough? At what point do I accept she is just not going to be a good laying hen - then decide whether she goes to freezer camp, or, gets to be a freeloader?

TIA for any advice, or comments.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

My Jailbird Vo is a black sex link. She would be an egg laying machine like her sister if only she could absorb calcium effectively . Being softheaded, I am letting her be a freeloader. Unfortunately, I also have to make sure she does not teach the others to eat eggs .

 

[greenegglover]

I would grind up the oyster shell into a powder and mix with your organic feed. Most of my girls dont like the large pieces. Or try yogurt every couple of days and see if that helps. My girls prefer the strawberry yogurt.....then a bath....LOL!

 

[juliawitt]

I have a hen that always lays soft eggs. I don't know which one it is......not sure I want to.....keeps me from making a decision. So, I too, have one freeloader. Same situation as you...free choice calcium and currently organic flock crumbles. They get to free range 2 or 3 times a week. Still one squishy, gross egg.......Oh well, I'm just a softy too.........

 

[Lovable Chicks]

Quote:
I have one too and not sure who it is. Found 2 eggs just the other night on the floor...a soft and squishy one and a normal hard shelled one. I wasnt sure if the same hen even layed them both as was right together and was after dark when layed.

 

[Auscal]

Well, wouldn't you know it - I posted the OP last night - this morning I collect 4 eggs (from 4 hens). So the Delaware laid a "good" egg. Despite this, I'm sure the problem will re-occur. Thanks for the good suggestions. I am going to take my oyster shell (the flakes are fairly large) and crush it. I will also give her some yogurt or cottage cheese with some crushed up oyster shell in it. It is good to know I am not alone with the problem

 

[mikensara]

we got 2 soft shelled eggs in one day and normal ones after that so i was sure it was just a fluke. sometimes they arent at their peak and so are we.

 

[Buff-Island-Australorp]

Quote:
I'm hoping you're right because I found one soft egg yesterday, and 2 this morning, along with a good one, all on the coop floor. Some of my hens are just now beginning to lay, and some have not started yet, so hopefully this is just one of those newbie things that takes a while to get things working properly.
They have oyster shell available too.
Can you eat a shell-less egg? It was perfectly wrapped inside the membrane, and I could see the yolk, but no leaks or anything. Just curious. Maybe I'll feed it to my dog.

 

[ceeceeholt]

This is the first day I've gotten 2 eggs and 1 was fragile. Don't know if that is what your talking about with soft shells or not. I went to pick it up and it broke at the tip. It was weird shaped kind of long and the bottom was hard but the tip was not. Do not know who laid it as I have 3 molting RIR and 1 SLW that is about to start. It was good sized but very light brown not at all the dark color of my RIR's. Just a fluke? They too have oyster shells and are getting laying crumbles. Should I be concerned or just keep watching?
Thank you all.