Thin shelled eggs normal after/during molt? Help!

[vonchick]

One mixed breed hen, 2 1/2 years old, one of my best layers, started a hard molt about the first of September. She looks wonderful now, but for the last two weeks has been laying thin shelled eggs at night. Last night, a second hen, a cochin/silkie cross, also 2 1/2 years old who has been laying steadily though a slow molt also laid a thin walled egg last night. Two days ago she laid an egg with a normal shell but with a spot of blood inside. A third hen, 6 months old, was laying thin shelled eggs when she came into lay, but her eggs are now normal.

Are these abnormal eggs the result of the stress of molting? I'm starting to really worry! All of my hens look very healthy. ( I have 9 more hens going through their molts now, one more coming into lay.) The coop is clean and free of parasites. I feed laying pellets, supplemented with mustard greens, chicory greens and soldier fly larvae, with cat food and dairy added for extra protein during molting. Mixed grains for snacks.

I would appreciate any advice! I've researched thin shelled eggs online, and nothing I've read sounds like a match.

 

[dawg53]

Molt takes a toll on birds no matter how old they are as you know, it affects their egg laying abilities. Birds at 2.5 years old are just past prime egg laying times and can be expected to produce softshell or thin eggs, sometimes less frequent laying or not laying at all. Younger birds recover from molt but sometimes they'll lay a weird egg as well until their system gets used to laying normally again.
I recommend that you wean your birds off the extra goodies that your feeding them...too much of a good thing can affect eggs and laying, just stick with the layer pellets/crumbles after weaning. Give it a week or two to see if there's egg quality improvement. Provide crushed oyster shell as free choice for them, or you can sprinkle a little in their feed. You can also add finely crushed eggshells mixed into their feed for them to eat as well, instead of crushed oyster shells.