thinner eggs

[mikalinette]

We have an aracauna who has always been a little "off". She looks completely healthy, and doesn't seem to be being pecked, but tends to stay away from the rest of our other 5 hens and do her own thing. She is coming up on a year old, and all through the winter we figured she hadn't started laying yet even though our other hens had. I finally realized that for at least part of that time she was laying eggs in different spots around our yard. Lately she has started to lay in the nest box on occasion, and today she did so, but her egg was a little misshapen, and the shell seems rougher and more brittle, possibly a little thinner as well. Also, the egg was barely tinted at all - pretty much just a white egg. Is there anything I should be worried about or do? I would hate for her to get egg locked. We also have a RIR who has been a stellar layer so far, but lately her eggs have gotten A LOT lighter and seem a little thinner as well (not rough or misshapen though). All of our hens are just under one year old.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[debilorrah]

I have noticed with my birds that when they first start they are misshapen, or rough, color weird, etc. With MY birds, some have been very thin shelled at first, but it has changed within a week of laying. USUALLY though it means they need more clacium, so oystershell would be best.

 

[sherrydeanne]

They're probably getting ready to molt, given the symptoms and their ages. Are they losing feathers?

 

[mikalinette]

I haven't noticed them using feathers yet, but I was wondering about molting...

Is there anything special I should do during this time? Are the eggs still fine to eat even though they look funny?

 

[gritsar]

Unless it's a very light moult, chickens don't usually lay during a moult.
I gave mine extra protein rich foods during their moult to help them grow in their new feathers faster. Dry cat food, tuna, black oil sunflower seeds and nuts are good choices. Some people switch to gamebird feed during a moult because it's generally higher in protein than layer feed.
The sandpaper eggs you got can be eaten. Are you supplementing their diet with oyster shell?
Here's a guide that tell you more about unusual eggs:

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

An occasional strange egg is nothing to worry about, but do give the girls some calcium for a starter.