Why is one of my chickens laying jelly-like eggs? I am not sure how to tell which one of 7 that it is?

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Kip7777777

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Hello I am an older guy age 73 and new to raising chickens. I purchased 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Astroloups and 1 (I am not sure, but it lays green eggs?) My question is - one of them and I can't tell which one, is laying soft jelly-like eggs. I am saddend by this as others tell me I need to put her down! I could NEVER do that. Even though I am a man I just don't have the heart to do that. I am so attached to them all. I never thought I could love these hens the way I do but I guess thy have become my friends. They are all so very frendly and let me hold and pet them and they actually all follow me around. I LOVE THEM! Am I a wimp?
 
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Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

If you just got these girls this year as chicks and they've only recently started to lay, I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

What exactly are you feeding them? Do you have a container or two of oyster shell available to them for free choice feeding? Are they eating it?
When I've had newly laying pullets lay shell-less eggs, I give them a calcium "infusion". Get a large tub of plain Greek yogurt and mix some yogurt in with about 1/3 cup of the oyster shell making it thick and put little dollops of this all over their space (run or free range). Then put a few dollops on top of their feed. Do this for about a week.

You can identify the pullet laying shell-less eggs by using an old tube of lipstick to smear around the vents of all of them except the Easter Egger (you said you only had one green egg layer so she isn't it.)
I would use one color on the RIRs and a different color on the Australorps. Once the next shell-less egg shows up, you will know which of the two groups it came from and then can mark the three pullets of that group with a different color lipstick and hone in on the girl who needs extra attention. You can get leg bands for them and mark her that way or snip the tips of some tail feathers so you can identify her later.

Give this pullet 630mg of calcium citrate daily for a week or until she lays a properly shelled egg.
You can get this at your local WM:
calcium citrate bottle.png


You will give her a tablet of this twice daily to get the right dose.
I would also do the yogurt/oyster shell treatment along with this to get them all in the habit of eating the oyster shell.
The easiest way to give a bird these tablets is to get them off the roost before they leave in the morning and after they've gone up at night, put them on the floor and hold them between your legs to keep their wings pinned then open the beak and poke the pill down and close the beak.

I have had birds that would willingly just take the tablet out of my hand and eat it but they are few and far between. You can try it this way and see if she will cooperate. Or have someone hold her for you or burrito her in a towel. See what works best for you and her.
Good luck.
 
Kip7777777 said:
I LOVE THEM! Am I a wimp?
Click to expand...
Welcome to BYC! :frow

No, not a wimp.. but if or when someone or something you love is suffering with no hope for improvement or has lost their quality of life.. then euthanasia is a good option to have.. Even if that means someone else does it for you.. like another chicken friend, or a veterinarian.

What is the age of the birds and what is their feed routine including treats and supplements? How long have they been at your place?

Sometimes soft eggs are just a temporary new layer hiccup.. Described in #10 of the following link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/
 
LTAY1946 said:
Hello and Welcome to BYC. Glad that you have joined this poultry loving community. You should also post your question here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/
Good luck with curing your hen. It would also help to let us know the breed and how old she is. You are not a wimp. No one in their right mind puts an animal down without trying to find a cure.
Click to expand...
Thank you so very much for all your help. PLEASE know I am most grateful. Your suggestions are so easy to understand. Also, I apologize to everyone for my lack of know how to use this site very well and repeating myself so much. I am not at all computer savvy and tryng my best to understand just how this site works. Forgive my ignorance! Being old and alone my hens have brought such joy into my life. I spend alot of time wtth them as they make me so very happy, and they keep me from being so lonely. I live in the country of CT my home is not next to any of the neighbors, so I truly am alone.
 
DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

If you just got these girls this year as chicks and they've only recently started to lay, I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

What exactly are you feeding them? Do you have a container or two of oyster shell available to them for free choice feeding? Are they eating it?
When I've had newly laying pullets lay shell-less eggs, I give them a calcium "infusion". Get a large tub of plain Greek yogurt and mix some yogurt in with about 1/3 cup of the oyster shell making it thick and put little dollops of this all over their space (run or free range). Then put a few dollops on top of their feed. Do this for about a week.

You can identify the pullet laying shell-less eggs by using an old tube of lipstick to smear around the vents of all of them except the Easter Egger (you said you only had one green egg layer so she isn't it.)
I would use one color on the RIRs and a different color on the Australorps. Once the next shell-less egg shows up, you will know which of the two groups it came from and then can mark the three pullets of that group with a different color lipstick and hone in on the girl who needs extra attention. You can get leg bands for them and mark her that way or snip the tips of some tail feathers so you can identify her later.

Give this pullet 630mg of calcium citrate daily for a week or until she lays a properly shelled egg.
You can get this at your local WM:
View attachment 3702205

You will give her a tablet of this twice daily to get the right dose.
I would also do the yogurt/oyster shell treatment along with this to get them all in the habit of eating the oyster shell.
The easiest way to give a bird these tablets is to get them off the roost before they leave in the morning and after they've gone up at night, put them on the floor and hold them between your legs to keep their wings pinned then open the beak and poke the pill down and close the beak.

I have had birds that would willingly just take the tablet out of my hand and eat it but they are few and far between. You can try it this way and see if she will cooperate. Or have someone hold her for you or burrito her in a towel. See what works best for you and her.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with @DobieLover and so does my vet. I had one I took to the vet because she was having a really difficult time laying and then was laying some lash materials. She was 25-weeks then. Extra calcium helped get her through. Now she is fine except.....while my vet and I were figuring out what was going on with her, I brought her in the house. I turned a round laundry basket on its side, added a nesting pad and used a pillow case over the top. To this day, she will not lay outside and has to come in to lay in the laundry basket. :)
 
EggSighted4Life said:
Welcome to BYC! :frow

No, not a wimp.. but if or when someone or something you love is suffering with no hope for improvement or has lost their quality of life.. then euthanasia is a good option to have.. Even if that means someone else does it for you.. like another chicken friend, or a veterinarian.

What is the age of the birds and what is their feed routine including treats and supplements? How long have they been at your place?

Sometimes soft eggs are just a temporary new layer hiccup.. Described in #10 of the following link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/
Click to expand...
They are all only 24 weeks old. They started laying at about 18-20 weeks. I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Aaustralorps, ane one Easter Egger, Pellet food and oyster shells and other treats on occasion. I am feeding - Purina Omega-3 laying pellets, oyster shell and some daily treats of grub worms and Farm to Flock hen treats. I also feed them their eggs shells that I grind up from those eggs I use. They have been with from very small chicks since the first week in July of this year. You are so kind to help me out.
 
Kip7777777 said:
They are all only 24 weeks old. They started laying at about 18-20 weeks. I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Aaustralorps, ane one Easter Egger, Pellet food and oyster shells and other treats on occasion. I am feeding - Purina Omega-3 laying pellets, oyster shell and some daily treats of grub worms and Farm to Flock hen treats. I also feed them their eggs shells that I grind up from those eggs I use. They have been with from very small chicks since the first week in July of this year. You are so kind to help me out.
Click to expand...
Stop ALL treats until all are laying normally. And then, if and when you resume feeding treats, you must make sure that it's never more than 10% by weight of their total feed consumption. In other words, keep it to a very low roar. Treats are for you. Not the birds. They do not need them.
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow

You have received some great advice above! They are still young yet and haven't fully matured at 24 weeks. As they age, their egg laying machines will correct most laying issues. However you might do as @DobieLover suggested with the Caltrate, I have had wonderful luck with that stuff and older hens that have difficulty putting a hard shell on. Good luck with your gals! If you have any further questions, be sure to ask. 😊 Enjoy your babies! ❤

Welcome to our community!
 

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