What is causing this? Wasn't sure whether to post in Predators or Egglaying

[AuntieTamsBYC]

I've had this a few times before. Is this a snake in the coop or something wrong with the hens? The inside of the egg looks to be in the hay. If it was a snake wouldn't the egg be gone?

 

[sourland]

It appears to be a soft shelled egg that broke and contents were eaten. Can be a result of low calcium, but this is less likely with a balanced commercial diet. Sometimes stressed, at the end of a laying cycle, or just starting a laying cycle hens lay soft shelled eggs. It's not a problem unless it continues.

 

[lazy gardener]

What he said.

 

[AuntieTamsBYC]

Thanks for the advice. I thought maybe calcium but I feed them a pretty balanced diet with their feed and lots of veggie scraps from the kitchen. I haven't added egg shells in a while because I've been saving them for the garden. Or, I might have one that is at the end of her cycle as the production has gone from 6-7 a day (7 hens) to 5 or 6. Also, I have no idea how old one of them is as she was a stray added to the flock. I'd like to think that it's a nutrition thing rather than a creepy snake!

Any suggestions on other ways to add calcium?

 

[The Golden Egg5]

The best thing to do would be to get oyster shell from your feed store and offer that in a separate container. They will eat what they want out of it. This would provide proper calcium to their diet.

 

[andreanar]

I always keep a dish of oyster shell available to the layers. They take it as they need it

 

[barred2rock]

Thanks for the advice. I thought maybe calcium but I feed them a pretty balanced diet with their feed and lots of veggie scraps from the kitchen. I haven't added egg shells in a while because I've been saving them for the garden. Or, I might have one that is at the end of her cycle as the production has gone from 6-7 a day (7 hens) to 5 or 6. Also, I have no idea how old one of them is as she was a stray added to the flock. I'd like to think that it's a nutrition thing rather than a creepy snake!

Any suggestions on other ways to add calcium?

Too many scraps can throw their diet out of balance. You want to make sure you provide no more than 10% of their diets with treats/scraps; the other 90% being of their staple starter, grower or layer feed, along with grit and oyster shells on the side.