Sudden appearance of shell-less eggs

[chickylou82612]

I've had a few hens start suddenly laying shell-less eggs.
I'm in Southern Ohio, where we have had a recent heat wave.
Oldest hens are about 29 weeks and the youngest around 23 weeks.
Flock is on a mixed feed - Kalmbach 17% layer and Flock Maker 20%
I add cinnamon, cayenne, oregano and garlic powder to their feed also.
They get free access to oyster shell and I bake and give their shells back to them.
They have 3 locations for water, and 2 for food. The shell is in two locations also. They do have a treat block and get occasional soldier fly larvae and kitchen scraps (fruit and veg only)

The rubber eggs have not been laid in the nesting box, and are broken so attempts to vent dye have failed me.

I added nutri-drench but am at a loss. The flock appears healthy. No one is sneezing, or breathing funny. Eyes are clear, no discharge from nose. Feathers are full and glossy, combs and wattles bright red. I see no signs of mites, but I do poultry dust once a month or so.


Eggs were normal until about two weeks ago, we've had maybe 10 rubber eggs total? 3 just today. including the one intact rubber egg I've found

 

[coach723]

It may just be that they are new layers and things still have not quite worked themselves out. Glitches are not uncommon in new layers or in older birds going in and out of lay. And heat is a stressor, any kind of stress can affect laying. If it persists, then you may have a hen with a malfunctioning shell gland. Diet can play a role, there are other nutrients also involved with calcium absorption and shell formation, vitamin D, phosphorus, etc. If your feed is fresh (check mill dates on bags) then those should be in there. Too many of some greens that are high in oxalates, like spinach, can inhibit calcium absorption also. And too many treats (anything other than feed) can reduce their intake of the feed, thus reducing those nutrients in there. Just some things to think about. I would keep an eye on them, make sure no one acts ill or off, sometimes passing those can make them feel very unwell, those are more difficult to pass than a regular shelled egg. If it continues, then with some observation hopefully you will be able to ID what bird is doing it. If you can, then supplementing calcium to that bird once a day for a couple of weeks (or until shells improve) could be tried to see if it helps. Calcium citrate +D (Citracal or generic equivalent) is usually the choice, 600 mg once a day.

 

[Tonyroo]

Your giving them too much extra treats. Stop giving them the fly larvae and food scraps asap.

When pullets are transitioning to laying mode they need only there layer feed with or without oyster shell on the side. This trains them to know which foods to consume that will help them.

You do need to check everyday how much they are consuming there feed and if they are touching the oyster shells. ( if oyster shells are not consumed put them in a cloth bag and smash them with a hammer to make it smaller).

After 3 months of this food and checking eggshell consistency is when you can give them treats sparingly.

 

[Kiki]

Stop feeding all the treats.
Feed them only the layer type feed.

 

[nuthatched]

X3 cut out all treats and especially the herbs, they won't help anything and garlic is toxic.