Chicken layed soft egg

Shepherd · #21 03/04/10, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longshadowfarms

Fixing an egg eater - you need to be REALLY persistent. Collect eggs frequently, provide lots of other goodies for them to eat (free rangers seem to do it less frequently than those cooped up, but free rangers might start in winter when they are bored), dark nest boxes will help, also provide plenty of nesting spaces, maybe even some in a different part of the barn if you have a larger space (to give a shy or low bird in the pecking order a "safe" place to go). The sooner you start to correct an egg eater, the less chance that the habit will become ingrained. If they're persistent, the best solution is to figure out who is doing it and remove them from the flock. If deeply ingrained and a lot of them are doing it, you may need to replace the entire flock.

That's what I'm afraid of. My DH had to take over caring for the chickens and... they started eating their eggs (long story). I'm afraid I'll have to replace them this year... once I'm up to caring for them again.

DJ in WA · #22 03/04/10, 09:54 PM

I get a soft shell or two every year when they start laying. Seems like some have to work out the kinks in the assembly line.

Yes, a layer ration has plenty of calcium. However, I still give them some more, but instead of oyster shells, I just feed eggshells back to them. I know, this is supposed to cause them to eat their eggs, but I crush them up good, and haven't had that problem after doing it for years. Also figure there's nutrition in the eggshells left from the egg white, etc, that might as well be recycled.

Yes, it's said you should provide plenty of nests, yet when I do, they often still like to climb in the same one.

poppy · #23 03/04/10, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nina

Shepherd, try putting wooden eggs (from a craft store..not sure if golf balls will work) in the nest(s), keep the nesting area as dark as possible and remove the freshly laid eggs as often as possible. Eventually you should be able to remove the wooden ones.
...the availability of oyster shell is good, but won't stop the shell-less eggs. Uncle Will, can a hen put together a shell in 10 minutes?

Be careful with those wooden eggs. I ran across some at a craft store a few years ago and bought 8 to see if it would stop egg eating. They were brown just like my RIR eggs. I distributed them among my 5 nest boxes. I have always given my extra eggs away. One day it downed on mt that I hadn't seen the wooden eggs. I had put them in the cartons and given them away with the real eggs. No one said a word about it but I always thought it had to be funny when they tried to crack them. Don't really know if they fooled my chickens but I guess I am not as smart as a chicken.

poppysfarm · #24 03/04/10, 11:42 PM

We get them too! Our chickens are free range and sometimes nature does not provide all of the nutrients needed.... Our girls do have access to commercial feed 24/7 but they usually prefer au-natural

I ignore the occasional Yuk softshell egg and have not seen it often enough to be a problem.

English Oliver · #25 03/05/10, 02:12 AM

I free range my chickens, feed 19% layer, and provide oyster shell. A couple weeks ago I started getting an egg a day with no shell. This went on for about a week then I would get a real deformed egg with a shell for a couple days. Found out it was a young hen just starting out, now she lays normal eggs every time.

"O"