Swirled or spiral shell markings?

spiritbrook

Songster
5 Years
Jul 9, 2015
132
20
106
Southern Oregon Coast
My original Khaki hen started having thin shells at about 1 year old. I noticed that the shells have a swirl where it seems that the calcium is not evenly distributed. Her daughter's eggs are the same way. What causes this? I am out of ideas how to make her eggs thick again. I have tried a couple different types of "oyster" shell, expensive laying feed with "egg building" formulation, even just good old multibreed flock raiser or all-flock type of feed. Everyone gets it, chickens, goose, and ducks. I don't have room for them to store feed and expect it to stay fresh. I usually have them on a new food for two months at least to see if it seems to be helping. I now feed a complete "layer" feed, a 5-grain scratch, and treat with bird seed, koi food and meal worms. I thought about somehow dissolving calcium in the duck's drinking water, but then I would have to remove their play water from their pens. Everyone knows how much ducks love their water.

Lately I have been putting the duck with the thin shells out on the lawn to forage, but not every day. Perhaps it has helped a little but she isn't laying as much as she did before so it is hard to tell. When she started laying she laid an egg every day, perhaps skipping only one or two days a month. Now, she only lays eggs that I can find (I suspect some are just too thin and are broken and eaten) about 3 days a week. She just had her second birthday.
 
I know my ducks love herbs are there are a few that I know of to very good for reproductive health and egg laying...And high in calcium. Try Comfrey, Oregano, Majoram, Dandelion greens are great all the way around and so is chickweed. Mint also helps with egg laying. Even layer feed recommends giving oyster shell free choice when feeding it. You can also boil eggs and give em the shells.
 
I put 250 mg calcium citrate - dissolved in water or crushed into powder - in a couple of tablespoons of peas, their favorite treat, for the ducks with soft eggs. I do that once a day for four days. I also add calcium citrate to their feed, about 80 mg per duck, three to five times a week during laying season. It works. I also add a teasppon or two of turmeric to two or three cups of their feed. It is a natural mild anti inflammatory.
 

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