Thin egg shells

[Lazy Farmer]

Roos are definitely ruthless maters. I keep my boys in a pen and only let mate when I want. Definitely keeps the hens happier.

I get you're not promoting your method and do it only on occasion... since I'm an over thinker , not trying to change your mind or saying you're doing anything wrong... I wonder if achieving your desired goal (easier hatching shells), would be greater benefit by trying your tactics, say a week or so before actually collecting eggs? In my thinking, the calcium doesn't go directly from the source to the eggs. It is processed into the keel bone where it is then distributed to the shell gland and eggs. Thereby creating a possible delayed reaction... In fact a hen will sacrifice her own body calcium before she quits laying eggs. So I'm not sure how that (easier cracking eggs) can ACTUALLY be achieved. It's a great problem to have! More often than not when people get soft shells.. it is about the reproductive system starting up, shutting down, or just having a basic hiccup. (In my experience) On occasion nutrition becomes suspect.

However, diminishing the protein(actually the amino acids in it) (maybe calcium too) would also *in theory* reduce your hatch rate/chick vitality. But again, thinking delayed reaction... you don't just suddenly become vitamin deficient or even fat when you start eating crud. You have to eat like that for a little while before you start seeing the results. Something to consider anyways.

Thanks for sharing your idea with me! I probably won't do it, but appreciate the opportunity to talk possible improved hatching. Learning what others do is the only way to find new ways that may or may not work for you. Did you know that after the first mating, the hen can be fertile for 2 weeks still? I ONLY have 1 incubator, So I always only collect eggs for about a week also, so they can all be set before the 10 day old mark. I guess those hatching chicks had better be strong!

Thank you for your open minded ness. Also for reading the statement not promoted or recommended. Sometimes it sounds like I'm preaching. It's just what we do, right or wrong. Mostly wrong I am sure. But it is an effort to address a concern. A tiny effort right or wrong is a step in a positive direction. Hopefully so!e can learn from our mistakes as well.Thanks again for the open minded positive reply. Wish we could keep them on the calcium reduction diet in advance bit longer but might just complicate things.
I always enjoy your input EggSighted4life! Take care now. F. Connie

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Thank you for your open minded ness. Also for reading the statement not promoted or recommended. Sometimes it sounds like I'm preaching. It's just what we do, right or wrong. Mostly wrong I am sure. But it is an effort to address a concern. A tiny effort right or wrong is a step in a positive direction. Hopefully so!e can learn from our mistakes as well.Thanks again for the open minded positive reply. Wish we could keep them on the calcium reduction diet in advance bit longer but might just complicate things.
I always enjoy your input EggSighted4life! Take care now. F. Connie

My auto correct on this tablet is driving me nuts! Keeps changing my misspelling to words not even related to my misspelled words. Causing me to edit a lot from poor proof reading before I post. I wish I could shut it off.

 

[as110]

It looks like my hen is at the end of her laying life and natural life ;0).
She has been laying very thin shelled eggs for at least a month. Last month she had leg mites and she was limping (not sure if she had a broken leg but it looked swollen and bent), and she was quaranteened to rest while I treated her for mites. She laid 1 egg after 5 days in isolation and that is when I knew it was her. I added oyster shells and fed egg shells back, but it is not working. I saw here that calcium could go somewhere else than the egg and it makes me wonder now if the thick leg was gout and not really broken. I know she is older, I was told when I bought her that she is more than 2 years old. I didn't think that was too old but she came from an egg farm.
Inspite of the extra oyster shells, her eggs are becoming so thin they literally come out scrambled. Here is the latest egg from this morning, the worst she had laid so far. This is not a joke, it is how I found it in the nest.
I was hoping to save and hatch some of her eggs because we love her colouring and she is one of my kids' fav, but I think it is time to replace her since the eggs are not getting better.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry to hear that.

I just culled a 4 year old hen who laid rarely. But she laid 1 lash egg and then the eggs after that all had extra calcium... making them not hatch worthy. Also my daughter said she had one with the extra calcium deposits also had blood or meat spots inside.

She was a good old girl. I only had for 5-6 months and she had only mud at her last location. After settling in she started ranging far and wide enjoying her life. I guess our old hens will feed another family as my daughter (and maybe myself) are somehow not interested. Our interaction and attachment to the hens is different than that of the cockerels, though all are treated well.

It is good to get it figured out and have answers so you can move forward.