What is going on with my eggs?

[EggNV]

Hi all,

I had mystery egg destruction that wasn't happening consistently so I got wooden eggs as suggested and it seemed to solve the issue, until a week or so ago when I saw another egg destroyed. Today I pulled an egg that had a really soft part of the shell (picture) and I'm thinking that's why the eggs were getting destroyed, they simply were soft and broke.

I'm also getting ones that have a distinctive white bumpy color and texture overlaying the shell on a regular basis (two pictures, top and bottom of egg).

I still only get one egg a day (occasionally none) from 2 Rhode Island Red hens that are approximately 2 years old. You'd think they'd both lay. I adopted them nearly 3 months ago so they've had plenty of time to acclimate.

I feed Layena crumble that I blend oyster shell in for added calcium, scratch grains, and what I call "chicken salad" consisting of organic spring mix lettuces, kale, and baby spinach all packed in suet cages. They devour them daily.

Any insight would be appreciated!

 

[BYCforlife]

Hello! What breed of chickens do you have? Some breeds need more protein for better egg quality. Also, chicken feed is supposed to be about 90% of the chicken's diet, and other things, (E.g. lettuce, spinach, grass, etc.) should be at most 10% of their diet.

 

[EggNV]

Hi there!

They are Rhode Island Reds. They get about 4 hours of range time out of their run and when they go in they get their greens treat. Other than that they are eating Layena crumbles. The nutrition breakdown is here:

Crude Protein (min.) 16%
Crude Fat (min.) 2.5%
Crude Fiber (max.) 6.5%
Lysine (min.) 0.7%
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 3.25%
Calcium (Ca) (max.) 4.25%
Phosphorus(P) (min.) 0.45%
Vitamin A (min.) 3000 IU/lb.
Vitamin E, (min.) 12 IU/lb.
Methionine (min.) 0.3
Magnesium (Mg) (min.) 100%
Sodium (Na) (min.) 0.3
Sodium (Na) (max.) 0.8
Phytase (A. Oryzae) (min.) 227 FYT/lb.

 

[BYCforlife]

Hi there!

They are Rhode Island Reds. They get about 4 hours of range time out of their run and when they go in they get their greens treat. Other than that they are eating Layena crumbles. The nutrition breakdown is here:

Crude Protein (min.) 16%
Crude Fat (min.) 2.5%
Crude Fiber (max.) 6.5%
Lysine (min.) 0.7%
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 3.25%
Calcium (Ca) (max.) 4.25%
Phosphorus(P) (min.) 0.45%
Vitamin A (min.) 3000 IU/lb.
Vitamin E, (min.) 12 IU/lb.
Methionine (min.) 0.3
Magnesium (Mg) (min.) 100%
Sodium (Na) (min.) 0.3
Sodium (Na) (max.) 0.8
Phytase (A. Oryzae) (min.) 227 FYT/lb.

That should easily be enough. I will see if a chicken pro knows!

@KikisGirls

 

[Kiki]

Hi all,

I had mystery egg destruction that wasn't happening consistently so I got wooden eggs as suggested and it seemed to solve the issue, until a week or so ago when I saw another egg destroyed. Today I pulled an egg that had a really soft part of the shell (picture) and I'm thinking that's why the eggs were getting destroyed, they simply were soft and broke.

I'm also getting ones that have a distinctive white bumpy color and texture overlaying the shell on a regular basis (two pictures, top and bottom of egg).

I still only get one egg a day (occasionally none) from 2 Rhode Island Red hens that are approximately 2 years old. You'd think they'd both lay. I adopted them nearly 3 months ago so they've had plenty of time to acclimate.

I feed Layena crumble that I blend oyster shell in for added calcium, scratch grains, and what I call "chicken salad" consisting of organic spring mix lettuces, kale, and baby spinach all packed in suet cages. They devour them daily.

Any insight would be appreciated!

View attachment 1080039 View attachment 1080040 View attachment 1080041

First....I'd cut the scratch grain completely out.
Then I would NOT mix the oyster shell with the feed, ever....offer it in it's own dish on the side.
Third..I'd advise you to read this:
http://articles.extension.org/pages/69065/feeding-chickens-for-egg-production

Could the person who sold you the chickens not been honest about their age or perhaps their breed?
Could they be older and maybe a production hen?

Have you read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[EggNV]

Hi Kikisgirls!

Thank you so much for your response!

I only throw out scratch grains in random areas through the dirt paths in the garden. I never throw it in their run. I do it around 2 times a week and only about 1.5 cups total each time in about 5 areas of about 1/4 acre where they get to roam. I'm not even sure they actually eat it all, but I throw it out anyway. Should I totally cut that out?

I'll definitely stop the oyster shell mixing. Fortunately, I mix it for each container of food I put in there so it will be easy to just stop without having to toss out 50# of feed.

I adopted the hens from a local couple here. Their daughter had them and moved and could no longer keep them. They gave me the hen house, custom-made run (fully covered at the top), and the hens. They told me they were about two years old, that their daughter had raised them from chicks, and that they are Rhode Island Reds (they are in the picture I'm using for my avatar). I've only ever gotten one egg, and when I asked them about it, they said that they thought they only got one a day as well. It seems weird, but I chalked it up to them having the chickens only for about 2 months before realizing they couldn't keep them either since their dog wouldn't leave them alone.

 

[Kiki]

Ok..so it seems like these chickens have been moving around a lot lately? which causes stress...
stressed chickens won't lay eggs.

But....I'd have to say that since they are free ranging they may be laying some where else?
I would keep them locked up for a while and offer extra protein for a week to see if that helps.
I can't see you pic too well, they may be a production red chicken which doesn't lay "forever"/be at the end of their laying life?

 

[junebuggena]

Layer feed is for actively laying hens, so I wouldn't feed it unless every bird is laying. Too much calcium can actually cause a reduction in laying, and it can be fatal to birds that aren't laying eggs. Try putting them on a higher protein feed, like starter or flock raiser and see if that helps.

 

[EggNV]

Here are some better pictures! Can you tell if they are production reds at all by looking at these?

Ok..so it seems like these chickens have been moving around a lot lately? which causes stress...
stressed chickens won't lay eggs.

But....I'd have to say that since they are free ranging they may be laying some where else?
I would keep them locked up for a while and offer extra protein for a week to see if that helps.
I can't see you pic too well, they may be a production red chicken which doesn't lay "forever"/be at the end of their laying life?

 

[Kiki]

To me....they look just like the Production Red chickens my local feed store sells.