Why the soft egg?

[ikatiemay]

I have 6 new girls that I introduced this summer. They are starting to lay now but someone (cant figure out who) lays an occasional egg and it is soft. Sometimes I find it splatted under the roost and sometimes broken in the nest box. I have found a couple intact also. My hens free range most days and have oyster shell available in the coop with the food nearby. I cant figure out who is laying the egg or why its soft. Do some hens never lay a hard shell? Is there something I have overlooked and should be doing for them?

 

[Capvin]

It is quite normal for chicks to have some soft eggs when they first start laying. Having said that, if all their eggs are soft then you have a calcium deficiency and usually the oyster shell resolves that problem. Also be sure that you are feeding them layers feed as it has the right mix of the nutrients they need when laying. I also save their egg shells and microwave them and crush them and feed them back to the chicks. As for finding the eggs under the roost that is also normal when the hens first begin laying and until they get the hang of the process. Try putting fake eggs in the nest boxes to encourage them to lay in the right place. Also, if they are laying in the morning I would keep them confined in the run until they are finished so they are not dropping eggs all over the place.