Thin egg shell

[Louiseap]

I have a production hen. Back in September she started laying very thin shelled eggs. I would find her eggs in the broken. Then in October she started to molt. Now a week ago she started laying again. Her first three eggs had nice hard shells, now they’re thinning out again. I’m finding yellow wet spots in her nesting box. Why is this happening? She’s about three years old.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

If there is plenty of calcium available then it could be a defective shell gland.

Wet yellow spots in the nest... possibly broken eggs that were eaten?

Do you use artificial lighting? What is fed on a regular basis including treats and supplements?

 

[aart]

What all and how exactly are you feeding?
She may need extra calcium.

 

[adstowe]

Do you have oyster shell available for her? I had a red sex link that payed really thin shelled eggs. Nothing I did seemed to help. I ended up culling her. I guess sometimes it just works out that way. Agreed that we need to know what all she’s eating.

 

[Louiseap]

I feed my hens Purina organic layer pellets. They also get left over veggies when I have them. Scratch every day with mealworms. I now have 4 girls laying and none of them have thin shell eggs. I don’t use artificial light.

 

[Louiseap]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

If there is plenty of calcium available then it could be a defective shell gland.

Wet yellow spots in the nest... possibly broken eggs that were eaten?

Do you use artificial lighting? What is fed on a regular basis including treats and supplements?

Thanks!
I figured that she ate the egg because when she layed it, it probably broke. She doesn’t break any other eggs.
Purina organic layer pellets, scratch with mealworms, and sometimes leftover veggies. No artificial lighting.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks!
I figured that she ate the egg because when she layed it, it probably broke. She doesn’t break any other eggs.
Purina organic layer pellets, scratch with mealworms, and sometimes leftover veggies. No artificial lighting.

Scratch and mealworms should be less than 10% of their total daily ration.. I personally wouldn't give them daily... scratch is mostly empty calories.. it does not have any vitamins or minerals added like a formulated ration... and mealworms are VERY high in fat. If you aren't offering oyster shell on the side... these snacks could be impacting your shell strength. The calcium is distributed from the keel bone... most birds will sacrifice their own calcium before laying a softee. And each bird being an individual may have different amount of reserves on board. Life is such an amazing and intricate individual experience. Not all of us have organs that age well.

I would get a small bag of oyster shell and put on the side. When I used layer feed... which I no longer do, I hardly went through oyster shell... but they did use a little.

Since too much calcium (greater than 3%) *can* (doesn't mean will) cause issues including gout and even kidney failure, when fed long term to birds NOT in lay... like molting hens, broody's, roosters, chicks, and so on... I now use flock raiser and offer oyster shell on the side.

Most eaten eggs are just happy accidents. I see it sometimes to, and haven't had to deal with any real egg eaters who break them open on purpose.

If her egg quality improves that's awesome... if not, I personally consider it an issue for my flock and would cull her out.

Good luck, whatever you decide!