Who might know...

[DobieLover]

Thank you for the welcome! The first papery shelled egg I found didn't cause too much concern. However, the count is up to 6 now. All but one was split open. I want to prevent them from tasting it and developing a bad habit of a taste for their own eggs.

That's a valid concern.
Have you seen the pullets eating the oyster shell? I would toss it out with a handful of meal worms.
You can also feed a treat of yogurt with crushed human calcium with vitamin D in it to the girls for a week and see if that hardens up their shells. For 5 pullets I'd crush 2 tablets and mix it into about a 1/4 cup yogurt and feed each girl some of it.

 

[Kiki]

Sounds like your birds free range at least part of time. I wouldn't move the bird feeder. They'll find it anyway. A little bird seed ain't gonna hurt'em and has nothing to do with the soft shelled eggs. As previously stated, new layers are still working out the glitches in the egg making department.

Wild birds carry diseases.
It's best not to encourage them to mingle.

 

[DobieLover]

So you think that possibly the wild bird seed might have something to do with it? I put only about a cup and a half total between 3 feeders...

The bird seed isn't going to hurt your flock. The potential diseases carried by the wild birds could. I gave up feeding wild birds when I decided to get chickens.

 

[imnukensc]

Wild birds carry diseases.
It's best not to encourage them to mingle.

Is there something that doesn't carry diseases? If you free range chickens, there's no way to keep wild birds and chickens separated, but they're hardly buddies. The "wild birds carry diseases" argument is overblown hype IMO.

 

[Willowru]

That's a valid concern.
Have you seen the pullets eating the oyster shell? I would toss it out with a handful of meal worms.
You can also feed a treat of yogurt with crushed human calcium with vitamin D in it to the girls for a week and see if that hardens up their shells. For 5 pullets I'd crush 2 tablets and mix it into about a 1/4 cup yogurt and feed each girl some of it.

I do spend a lot of time outside and watching my chickens. I've not seen any of them eat the calcium, crushed shells or oyster shell. They don't seem interested in it. I think for now I'll hold off on giving them yogurt. I have at least 2 but likely 3 of the 5 females that are laying good hard-shelled eggs. I don't want them to get too much calcium. Also, the unknown one or two laying softies don't seem to be nesting. I'm finding them like they were just dropped wherever the chicken was at that moment. This morning there was 2 on the floor of the coop below the roosting bars.

 

[Willowru]

Is there something that doesn't carry diseases? If you free range chickens, there's no way to keep wild birds and chickens separated, but they're hardly buddies. The "wild birds carry diseases" argument is overblown hype IMO.

By no means do my chickies and wild birds mingle!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds as if you are doing all the right things. Your pullets just need to get the production line organized.

 

[Willowru]

Wild birds carry diseases.
It's best not to encourage them to mingle.

They free range all day. They are locked up at night for their protection but I let them out as soon as I get up in the morning...about 7:30. (They're already awake and ready to bust loose!)

 

[Ebony Rose]

Vitamin D absorption plays a key role in the bio-availability of the calcium too. Are they getting plenty of sunshine?
I also agree with those stating in essence 'she's young, she's still working out the bugs in her egg factory'.

 

[Willowru]

Thanks. You're right, they've not been laying for long. They have access to calcium 24/7, both crushed shells and oyster shell. My favorite chickie; Freckles, does seem to be lowest on the pecking order. However, they all have access to unlimited layer pellet feed 24/7. I'm certain she's getting all she wants to eat. I don't know if she is one dropping the soft shells though. I'm actually keeping a chart of who lays and when. "Fart eggs"...funny term! I think that since diet, illness, etc. has likely been ruled out, I'll just let them do their thing and hope nature resolves the problem before they start to taste them.