What causes super-tough membranes?

[tazzy]

We have issues with the membranes on our eggs being so tough that the chicks trying to hatch are having problems breaking through the membrane. They get through the shell but not the membrane. We had to assist our chicks in hatching today and two had already suffocated and it was really sad.

Does anyone know what causes such tough membranes? We feed our hens a feed mix for laying hens that we buy at Tractor Supply. The shells and membranes are really, really hard and tough. Should we be feeding them something else?

 

[duckman]

your humidity is to low

 

[tazzy]

our humidity is too low in the chicken coop? how do you control humidity in an open-air chicken coop? or under a broody hen in a chicken coop?

thanks!!!

 

[duckman]

i thought you were incubating them i guess maby the chicken is not keepng a high humidity if you can see through the membrane it should be good if it is like paper it is not a high enoughf humidity i dont know how you would make it more humid.

 

[tazzy]

ah, okay, thanks.

what about for future eggs? what could we do to prevent the tough shells and membranes on those? It's not just the ones we are hatching, it's ALL the eggs. when we hardboil an egg, the membrane stays put even with the shell completely off! It's really hard to get off the egg. it's not normal.

 

[VanSintjan]

If I boil our eggs fresh I have realy tough membranes too but with a week old egg or older there is no issue. I think I would check the humidity in the coop with a hygrometer and if very low, try too place an airmoisterer. The kind you can have inside.

 

[tazzy]

huh...that's weird...some of my eggs are 1-2 weeks old when I cook them, so I don't know why the membranes are still so tough. I knew that happened with super fresh eggs, but not sure why I'm getting it with all of my eggs of varying ages. I made a couple of dozen deviled eggs last week and had the same problem. and I know those eggs were older because I'd given dozens of fresher ones away and sold them to the neighbors.

 

[Katy]

Can I ask if these are your first experiance with home grown, fresh eggs? Home layed eggs are so much different and better than store-bought eggs it sometimes takes awhile for a person to get used to them.

 

[tazzy]

Hi there...this is the first time I've raised chickens, but my husband has before and we've both bought lots of fresh eggs from local farmers over the years. Even in Southern California, we were able to buy eggs from local farmers and get fresh eggs the day or two after they were laid.

These shells and membranes are much tougher and harder, in the case of the shells, than anything we've experienced before.

My mom grew up on a farm and we give her eggs all the time and she, too, has commented that the shells seem really hard to crack.

My dad also grew up on a farm and so I asked him today about the eggs, since we share them with him as well. He said he had noticed the hard shells and tough membranes, but thought it was just the breed of chicken that we were raising (buff orpingtons.) but my husband has raised buffs before and didn't have this experience with eggs in the past.