Super soft eggs PLEASE HELP!

[ChickyGirl12]

Give them calcium.

 

[BuffyBugSlayer]

I think when you have a chicken that is laying soft-shelled eggs you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1) is this a pullet that has just started to lay? young chickens will sometimes lay strange eggs in the beginning and it usually works itself out as they mature and get into the swing of things.

2) is my mature hen under stress? stress can cause a variety of egg related issues from not laying at all to misshapen or shell-less eggs.

3) do my hens have enough calcium in their diets? make sure you are supplying them with a layer feed and you can also add oyster shell. are you feeding too many scraps that may interfere with the amount of layer feed and calcium she is consuming?

4) is my hen experiencing a reproductive issue? soft-shelled eggs can be a sign of illness or defect. some hens can have lesions or growths in their uterus that disrupts the normal egg laying cycle. consistently laying soft-shelled eggs will eventually lead to eggs breaking internally and the development of peritonitis which can lead to death.

So it may be a normal or it may be a sign or something else.

 

[Kikiriki]

what are the greens you are feeding? Some greens actually reduce nutrients by interfering with absorption in the gut, if I recall, they can bind with some nutrients. I have one hen that prefers greens to other foods. Her shells are thinner than the other eggs, and the whites are very watery. She chooses to eat less of the feed and do more foraging than the other hen.

Some very nutritious veggies are among these. The best way to break down the problem chemical is by cooking. This is the case with beans, for example. There are studies on just about anything you might consider feeding, and some on things you would never think about! I read about everything on Google scholar. I would search it using the keywords: poultry, chicken, feed, and whatever plant item I was researching. Typically what happened was most foods were fine up to a percentage of total feed for the day. (Usually 25% or so). After that the test chickens would start to show a deficit by losing weight and laying problems. Keep in mind the testing has production birds in mind, and is focused on cheapest readily accessible or waste products that get best results.

For example, sweet potato leaves and mulberry leaves are good, while bean leaves are not... But that would just mean you could feed more sweet potato and mulberry leaves while a very small amount of bean leaves would be okay. (Not ornamental sweet potato! The ones that grow the real potato). The birds still need the correct amino acids from proteins and all the other nutrients. If you can take the time one day to just sit and observe what your chickens eat you can know how best to deal with their diets. I never saw anything that was used at more than 50% except for corn, (hard info to find, but many manufactured feeds are 60% corn or more) but that much corn is too much in my opinion.

Another issue I did not see addressed by others was the possibility of worms... If you can borrow a microscope or find one used, you could check their poop. Intestinal parasites suck up the nutrients the birds should be getting from their food. Pumpkin seeds are supposed to help keep them under control.

I am betting, however, that by the time you read this, your hens eggs will be getting normal. It most likely is just a new layer issue.

 

[Benjamin III]

Just feed them the bits of oyster shells. Grind it up if you have to and then put it into their food and it will do the trick. Look at my previous post.

 

[kaestark]

i may get some hate for this but oh well...
i feed my chickens about every 5 months an egg. i take one that is not being covered by a hen or one that a hen is not sitting on the nest with. i crack it and mix it into the food i give them ( dog food and crack corn with molassis) this actually in my oppinion helps the hen create a nice grade egg. eating raw eggs will help a chicken just like it will help bodybuilders. it helps egg shells become stronger yet it doesnt hurt the hen

 

[Blooie]

Don't see any reason to hate you for that! Mine get hard boiled eggs with the shell at least once a week!

 

[MamaTaylor08]

I'm so glad I came across this thread! I had a few hens who laid soft eggs for a few weeks and then they started always laying normal. I also think I have a egg-eater but I can't actually confirm that. I've gone to grab the eggs in the morning and found some with peck holes in them or if I can't get into the coop until the next day I find some that have been busted. Each time I pull them however the hens come running over and attempt to peck at them! This was a very good read and helpful!

 

[thisfamilyof7]

put some calcium in their diet. oyster shell works well just mix it with their food or even just put it on the side. I had this problem at first to but now All the eggs are healthy and strong as far as I can tell hope this helped

 

[thechickgirl02]

Basically it's just lack of calcium. It is nothing to worry about, it often happens with young hens. I suggest that you just keep giving them greens and such. Hope this helps!

 

[noel connet]

Soft egg shells fix is to add oyster shells in with their feed. My grandmother gave me this tip when we first got chickens.
HAPPY DAY
NOEL