'waterballoon' eggs ??

[turbokev]

I have 8 hens.. 2 Buf Orps, 2 Black Cochins, 1 Salmon Favorelle and 3 White Brahmas..
All seem healthy and I get 5 - 7 eggs a day, sometimes 8.

About 3 times a week for the last month I've been getting a normal sized egg but it has no shell.
Its 'egg' colored, not transparent, but its squishy like a water balloon.
I never get it in the egg box, always up on the poop board when I check them in the morning.

I think its coming from one of our Brahmas based on the location of it, they all sleep in the same spot
every night and thats the end the eggs shows up at.

Odd thing is that I have had 8 good eggs in one day a couple times this month as well..
Its like one of the chickens usually lays a soft a egg but once in awhile lays a normal one.

They all eat the same Layena food and get plenty of table scraps..
They have a sand floored covered run (12x8) and an outdoor run too (20x30) so they have lots
to scratch around in and peck through..plenty of fresh water too..

Any thoughts on this?

 

[sheila3935]

sounds like they need more calcium. Are they new layers? Sometimes in new layers you will get this til they get the kinks worked out. Try giving them some oyster shells. I have a rabbit feeder in my coop with oyster shells in it at all times. They will only eat what they need of it.

 

[turbokev]

Forgot to mention they are all 1 year old as of May 15th..
They've been laying since November, but the soft egg started showing up mid April..
(and I'm almost certain it is just one chicken thats doing this)

 

[kimntep]

I have the exact same problem for a month now, so I upped the calcium in the form of eggshells, oyster shell and yogurt..seems to be getting a little better. Make sure, if you know the one who's laying the soft eggs, that she is not the low hen on the totem pole and just not getting enough to eat. I was afraid of that, but since I've begun to hang out and observe a bit more at treat time, she seems to be doing fine and the eggs are not as soft, so I think I'm on the right track.

 

[nonsuch]

Hi, I just checked this thread because I am having exactly the same problem! I have three French Black Copper Marans, that just starting laying about 3 or 4 weeks ago. So far (two are a month older then the other) we get 1 - 2 eggs per day (always in the nesting boxes). Two days ago I found the "wierd" squishey egg in their run. Today there were two more, but this time under the roosting bars in their coop. Currently, there are only the three girls in a fairly large coop, so they have plenty of room and a large dish of oyster shells. Should I be worried? They all seem perfectly healthy and content. The oyster shells are thrown around, so I know they are eating some of it.

Any thoughts from anyone?

 

[Lyssa]

Quote:
From what I have experienced and what I have read here on BYC, this is normal. I have found that if they have enough calcium, they will start laying harder eggs. I would get hard egg shells, then occasionally a soft squishy one. Mine have been laying for a couple of months now and I'm not getting the soft ones anymore. Also, someone else on the site mentioned that they take the eggshells, drying them out and grinding them up (small) and put them back in the food for extra calcium. I have started doing this to, I think it's a nice recycle

Good luck with your girls.

 

[nonsuch]

Thanks for the reply, I'll hang in there

 

[Judy]

I suspect that lack of animal protein contributes to this, too. I've kept oyster shell out for them for ages, so when this started happening a few months ago, I checked and sure enough the feed has no fish meal or other animal protein. So I started giving them treats of things like scrambled eggs and canned mackerel, a few times a week. Haven't seen a soft shelled egg for a couple of months now.

 

[Lyssa]

Quote:
That makes sense too. Mine free range on crickets, worms, and other crawly things. They get as much extra protein as they can catch. The especially love to help us turn the compost