Update and question

[Brenda Jones]

My girl has now given me 4 eggs, the first one on the 22nd, then 24th, 25th and tonight. each getting a little larger. this last one though had a VERY soft shell and was laid around 6:30 pm she laid it in a different sot because her sisters were up in the roost where she normally lays, She has free choice calcium and grit. Is it normal to have a soft egg after laying normal eggs... and should she be laying every day??? I wasn't expecting her to lay this often

 

[LaFleche]

My girl has now given me 4 eggs, the first one on the 22nd, then 24th, 25th and tonight. each getting a little larger. this last one though had a VERY soft shell and was laid around 6:30 pm she laid it in a different sot because her sisters were up in the roost where she normally lays, She has free choice calcium and grit. Is it normal to have a soft egg after laying normal eggs... and should she be laying every day??? I wasn't expecting her to lay this often

What exactly are you feeding? Sometimes in winter they lack sunshine/Vitamin D3 to process the calcium which can lead to softer shells, even more so during the first weeks of laying activity.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

LateBirdFarms, my girls are Sapphire gems. They will be 18 weeks old on Monday. I am surprised that my girl is laying nearly daily

I'm personally not familiar with the breed, but if I'm not mistaken Sapphire Gems are a hatchery hybrid with a higher production rate than a lot of the heritage breeds. @LaFleche is right, I see this sometimes with my girls coming into lay during the winter. Hopefully she'll work out the kinks and you won't see many of these.

 

[nuthatched]

I feed them a raw organic grain feed and they have free choice oyster shells mixed with egg shells. she has chosen a spot in the roost area to lay her eggs, but it was already getting dark when she wanted to lay and I had pulled all the girls in for the night. and she didn't want to lay while the others were around. I do give them a treat of whole milk with DHA / OMEGA3 or some Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries about once a week. I also ferment their feed but they have gotten very picky and have not wanted to eat more than a couple bites... it also freezes where the dry stuff doesn't

Do you mean that the pellets are made of organic grain or all you are feeding is organic grain?
They need actually formulated feed, grains (i.e scratch) isn't nutritionally balanced. it's like you eating nothing but cheerios, there's some nutrition but its all carbs and you won't last long.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

what kind of supplement? where do you get it?

I break up a Tums and I give that to which ever girl is having a problem for a couple days and usually the problem is solved. I keep a bottle of Tums in their coop so it is handy.

 

[LaFleche]

The feed has all the nutrients, it is just in a raw grain mix ( not crumbles or pellets). They are used to free ranging, but we have several inches of snow on the ground and my girls don't have any interest in coming out of their run to forage. I can't even coax them out with a treat of dried crickets / meal worms or grublies they are just eating the regular ration with some added treats now and again... I grow greens for them in the house and bought them some dandelion greens which they have really enjoyed the past 2 weeks while the next batch of greens get up to size.

From what I can read and have seen on their website, this is a grower feed 17% crude protein, but with max. 1,3 % calcium not providing enough for already laying hens.

So if you provide an extra dish containing additional calcium free choice they should be alright, once the acute deficiency is overcome.

 

[theoldchick]

Pullets just starting to lay will have strange eggs until the shell gland has worked out the kinks. If you are feeding a good quality layer feed and sufficient water you don't need to start adding calcium to the diet, as too much calcium and other mineral can cause soft shells. I don't get worried unless the problem continues then I start looking at other factors such as stress, overcrowding and diseases. High production breeds will also lay soft/brittle shells. I have Sapphire Gems and though they lay at a good rate, I do get soft/brittle eggs now and again.

https://cluckin.net/why-are-my-chickens-laying-soft-or-thin-shelled-eggs.html

 

[Brenda Jones]

From what I can read and have seen on their website, this is a grower feed 17% crude protein, but with max. 1,3 % calcium not providing enough for already laying hens.

So if you provide an extra dish containing additional calcium free choice they should be alright, once the acute deficiency is overcome.

I have kept a dish of oyster shell mixed with egg shell out for them even before they were laying. They pick at it every once in a while. today I just mixed about a quarter cup of it in their food, just to make sure they are eating it, I also put some kelp mixed in there too. They have become very picky eaters. lol. On my way to the store for more greens. I did put a calcium + Vit. D tablet broken up in about a 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt and all 3 of them devoured it.

 

[oldhen2345]

Mine won’t eat the calcium out of the bowl, but they will pick at it if I throw it onto the ground. You may want to try that. I also save their egg shells and smash them up and throw them on the ground and they love them!

Mine do the same. If I scatter it around the ground, they eat it. IF not, they act like they don't see the big red container.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

What breed is your girl? Depending on what breed she is, yes, you can get 6-7 eggs a week. Being a new layer, they can be prone to some glitches, but I would definitely keep an eye on her future eggs. Is she laying while on the roost?