Thin Shelled Egg Problems

[redsix]

We feed our chickens the following: layer crumbles, wheat sprouts, cracked corn (small amount), crushed oyster shells, and grit. They free range most of the year. I've been adding some crushed oyster shells to the layer feed to try to get them to eat more calcium. I'm still getting thin shelled eggs. Probably 1 out of every 10 eggs has a thin shell. Most of the time they get broken in the nest. Even their water is hard water with some calcium in it.

 

[HunterChickens]

Could be I just dont know the proper names of the feed, but we do 50 game bird/50 layer pellets....and tons of string cheese from my daughters. We had a few eggs that were a little thin, so we added oyster shells and problem went away. Maybe try the 50/50 blend? They also roam the property for bugs.

 

[aart]

I'd guess one of your birds has a problem.
Find out which one(can be very hard, I have one now),
and supplement her calcium more directly.

 

[Folly's place]

Try stopping that corn and wheat entirely for a few weeks. Have the oyster shell feeder out next to their door to the outside, in plain view, don't mix it in with the layer feed! You may have a bird who's unbalancing her diet for taste reasons too.
If it's one bird, as @aart mentioned, it could be a problem with her shell gland specifically. Try to figure out who's eggs are problematic.
We feed an all-flock feed, Flock Raiser, with higher protein levels, and separate oyster shell for the laying hens. This winter my one brown Leghorn pullet was producing huge thin shelled eggs. We moved the oyster shell feeder from the back corner to next to the coop door, and her egg shells are good now. Because she's my only white egg shell producer, it was easy to see who had the problem.
Older hens can develop issues, not the same thing at all, and by 'older', that includes two years and up, easily.
Mary

 

[redsix]

I will cut back on every food source except the layer feed. I'm also thinking about going back to feeding fermented layer feed.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Yes you will need to find the hen with the problem. Some good sources of calcium are: dandelion greens, oyster shells, and egg shells ( I save the egg shells from cooking and feed it to them )