Boarding00n
In the Brooder
So, I was given a chicken on my b-day (Aug 20th), that day I was told she was within 2-3 weeks of laying. About the 3rd week of having her she did start laying, however the eggs were on the smaller side and with a soft shell. She was laying them every 2.5 days of each other but she was laying 2 at a time. I figured her body was just working things out. I talked to my parents who grew up raising chickens and they said it was normal for the soft shell for the first couple eggs but 2 at a time was not normal. I did a little research and found that oyster shells would help with calcium. Important fact about her, she was born with a crooked beak. The top part of the beak is shorter than the bottom and also the top is crooked. I ground up oyster shells in a blender and mix that in with her food and soon after, the eggs had a hard shell. She laid about 6 eggs with a hard shell and than a random one with a soft shell, laid a few with a hard shell and the last 4 eggs were soft shelled and 2 at a time again. So, on sat she laid 2 soft shell eggs and on sun she laid 2 soft shell eggs. She has been laying them at night which my parents also found weird. I built her a wooden box for laying which she has used about 50% of the time for laying the eggs, she doesn't seem stressed as I take her outside into the yard for about an hour a day, I spend a decent amount of time with her, when I am home I have the cage door open, so she can come out as much as she wants and she does, i've bought worms for her which she loves. So, I am at a loss as to why she is laying soft shell again, 2 at a time and at night. Oh and I also bought a baby chick, so she would have company and they have each other now. I bought the baby chick at the 3 week mark of getting the chicken. (No I don't have them currently living together but they are near each other and when outside they are loose together and the big one does not attack the little one)
