Still getting soft shells.

[Grammahen]

I posted this on a different thread, but I don't want to hyjack that thread so I'll post it here and see what you all think.
My 2 Golden Comets are 22 weeks old. Most days I will have just 1 perfect egg along with 1 egg that is soft mush. Often I will find one on the dropping board with either a soft thin shell or a shell less egg. I have had oyster shells out for a few months. (I don't really see them eating them though) I free feed Layena feed all day. In the late afternoon, I will give treats like hard boiled eggs or fruit and veggies and I also give just a bit of scratch. Not sure if they are just still young and the good eggs will come with practice? Am I doing anything wrong? I have been seeing at least one egg daily for about a month and a half. So I'm thinking one of the Golden Comets is having a problem. Is she a late bloomer or does she have egg making defects?

 

[wyliefarms]

I had that problem when my hens started to lay. They were still on pullet food, so I switched them over to a 16% layer feed. Within a week the problem was gone. So I am figuring that it was the lack of calcium.

 

[Luvmybob]

I hope I can help, I'm new to the whole chicken thing but my girls haven't laid a soft shelled egg yet..( except yesterday, my BO laid 2 eggs in a row, one normal big one and one the size of a quarter and really soft, so weird )...so anyways, what I do is crush up egg shells and mix it with their layer feed and sometimes I give them plain yogurt for a treat and it seems to work...

They eat the egg shells if you crush them up...I've never used oyster shells yet...

Good luck, hope it helps!
Dana

 

[CMV]

I mix the oyster shell in with their layer food. I noticed they weren't really eating any in the separate bowl I had out, so I started mixing a little in with their food. They still don't eat much of it, but I have seen their eggshells firm up a bit after I started doing this.

Good luck.

 

[Grammahen]

Thanks for the replies and help. Although I'm still wondering...
One of the two golden comets has been laying perfect eggs for over a month. Has anyone experienced this happening for this long even after giving oyster shells for a month? Has anyone had a hen that turned it all around after this long? 22 weeks still young for golden comets?
Thanks

 

[CMV]

Here's a good reference page I keep. Any egg defect can be looked up easily. Good luck.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

 

[Grammahen]

Thanks CMV. I saw that already and it make me think things aren't looking too good for my poor hen. What do you think. Still not sure.

 

[Grammahen]

Just wanted to post that I think my hen Gerty worked things out. She layed 2 soft shelled, mushy eggs right in front of us in the run the other night! That same morning there was one on the dropping board. That was 3 in one day! The next morning everything was fine. For 2 days in a row now she has layed perfect eggs. Isn't that weird or what?
Thanks everyone for all of your help!

 

[wefroggy]

I had my first soft eggs today, after 2 weeks of laying. Not all of my girls are setting yet so I figure it came from one of them. What a shock to stick my hand in to grab a hard egg and to feel squish. Ewww. I then found one out in the yard, which was strange, this one was half soft half hard, we shall see.
i am goint to start putting out oyster again, they are currently on 16%layer pellets.