Very thin shells

[Kanga77510]

One of the girls lays very thin shelled eggs. She laid one today and before I could grab it up, she stepped in it. It broke and made a huge mess.

Some readings online have told me to add 2 lbs oyster shell per 100 lbs feed. I do 50 lbs at a time, so I guess 1 lb extra shell? They have free choice of shell too.

It also suggested adding vitamins to water while doing the oyster shell. What kind of vitamins and what's the ratio?

Thanks so much, I'm afraid she needs a lot of help.

 

[auntieLisa]

Personally, I let mine have oyster shell as they want it. Mine also free range in the afternoons. I have not had oyster shell for about 6 months. They get enough calcium from bugs etc. I give them back pulverized egg shell once in while.
Edit to add: Is she a new layer? One of mine had thin shells at first.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Vitamin D is necessary to properly synthesize calcium. So, adding vitamins to the water would be fine to do. some people use Avia Charge (from the feedstores, I believe). I don't know the dose, but am sure it would be on the package.

I have only a few birds, so I give them each 2 drops per week of PolyViSol liquid infant vitamins (without iron). And a teaspoon of cod liver oil each week, b/c it is a good source of vit. D.

Keep on offering the crushed oyster shell, free-choice. Depending upon what they are eating and how many eggs they are producing, each bird may need more or less calcium, at any given time, and she'll eat whatever extra she needs. It's fine to have some OS in the feed. That's why its called layer feed. However, forcing a lot of extra oyster shell into the feed isn't the best way, IMO, it's better just to offer extra OS, on the side.

 

[pgpoultry]

Hi, Vitamin D can easily be given in the way of fortified margarine on bread which my hens love. The dose may be a bit inaccurate, but it works well,
Sandie

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Sometimes, there's just a difference in shell thickness between the eggs of different chickens in the same coop, too. I have one chicken that lays eggs with a thinner shell and one chicken that lays eggs that are like trying to crack a bowling ball, when I'm cooking. All the other chickens lay eggs that have pretty normal shells. At least they're different colors at my house, so I know which is which.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
Ditto here. My EE, that lays green eggs, has one of the thickest shells I've ever tried to crack. It's her sister, lays beige eggs, who has the chronic thin or no-shell eggs.