Thin Shells

[dwdoc]

Hello all,

Ok, last week I adopted two hens. One is laying great eggs , nice sized and good firm shells. The other is laying very thin shelled eggs. They both are on the same diet - layer feed, BOSS or scratch for treats. They have plenty of access to fresh clean water and Oyster shells, etc...

Below are images of the hen and the eggs, please note that both ends of the egg there is a bit of discoloration. What am I doing wrong? Suggestions? And finally , are the thin shelled eggs safe to consume?

It's the white hen:

Thanks for the input.

 

[lavacaw]

I save all my eggshells, dry them out good in the oven so they crush better. I crush them up finely (use a zip lock and rolling pin) and feed them back to the chickens. I have found they eat this better than oyster shells and you can even mix it with their feed/pellets. You often have to hit the eggs a couple of times to break the shells now.

 

[Judy]

All about what can go wrong with eggs:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/14/hairline-cracks

 

[BrewedInNh]

I have to agree on recycling eggshells. We went for several months without serving them any oyster shells, they only got recycled eggshells. Most people we shared the eggs with commented about how much harder their shells were compared to store bought.

I dry the empty shells out in the oven for only as long as it takes to preheat it to 350 degrees. Then they go into a metal bowl and I crush them down with the back of a heavy ladel to about the size of kosher salt. I mix it in with the table scraps and oatmeal they get for breakfast several times a week.

Also, leafy greens and yogurt are good sources of calcium too.

 

[dwdoc]

Quote:
What a great resource. Thank you.

 

[Gypsy07]

What are you doing wrong? Nothing! You only rehomed them a week ago! If that one is nutritionally deficient in any way it'll take maybe a few weeks of decent feeding to sort it out. I rehomed three very scabby looking old Cuckoo Marans last summer and they all laid soft shelled eggs for nearly a month. Even if you're giving them a perfect diet it'll take a while for it to filter through to the 'egg factory'.

It's a good idea to check the nest boxes more often than normal and remove the soft eggs as quickly as possible until the problem sorts itself out. If a soft egg bursts and they happen to peck at it they'll quickly realise how good it tastes and BANG! you'll have a bunch of egg eaters on your hands.

And remember, you can still eat the soft eggs in the meantime...

 

[Ridgerunner]

This link shows a lot more things that could be wrong with your eggs, not just the hairline cracks. It's the same source as DDawn's, just a little more complete.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/

I agree to give her time to adjust to a good diet. It is possible it is a genetic defect or that something else is going on, but patience may be your friend.

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
X2

 

[dwdoc]

I feel like I have been swindled. The lady who sold them to me says she needed to get rid of the birds because she had twins and she was having trouble managing. I SPECIFICALLY asked her about health issues, laying issues, etc... She did not disclose any problems...acted like they were the healthiest birds around. Ist ok though; they have a good home now and I hope to get this issue resolved. Some peoples children!!!!

 

[Gypsy07]

Well, there's also maybe a small chance that the hen was laying fine before and that the stress of the rehoming has caused the wonky eggs.