Joojoo Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 This is the pattern we've had for the past 3 days, but I'm not 100% that it is the same hen producing them. What does everyone think. Sunday - 3 normal eggs, 1 soft shelled egg (from 3 hens) Monday - 1 normal egg Tuesday - 3 normal eggs Wednesday - 2 normal eggs, 1 enormous egg, 1 soft shelled egg Do you think that producing a very large egg (98g) would put them off kilter and cause a softie? She only laid it about 10 mins ago just before it started getting too dark. When I checked she was in the nest box so I left her for 10 mins and checked again to find her still standing in the nest box with a floppy shell one side and a complete yolk & white minus shell the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 mmm? its quite late in the day to be laying isnt it Jue? I havent had any softies for ages, but someone on here a month or so ago had a spell of softies for several days and then the hen was completely fine. Maybe its just a phase? or the big big egg did play havoc with her? Do you ever see your girls eating grit? my lot have a grub in the run full of grit and surprisingly I see them pecking at it quite often. Im sure she will be fine , just keep an eye on her. softies make them go dazed for 24 hours or so. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks Chels. She certainly didn't seem herself on Monday when she laid the other one. That was more intact though. The shell was floppy but just had a split in it with the egg still inside. I can't be 100% that it's the same hen laying them, but it's very strange. The other one on Monday was laid at the same time as well - about 7.45pm. They are 2nd eggs for somebody, as we had already had the full complement of 3 for the day. They do have plenty of grit in a pot, and I'm as sure as I can be that they get plenty of it - it certainly goes down. I'll keep a closer eye on them for a few days xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 I have the same prob's - but can't work out who's doing what?? Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omletina Kyckling Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 I'm having the same problem with Helga, my star egg layer. Yesterday she laid an egg in the morning and then late in the day she laid two softies, one in the nesting box and one in the run. Today she went in the nesting box again and laid a softy with no outer to it at all. I'm very worried about her. She's been an amazing layer until now, laying big eggs every day with only a few days off since October. She has access to grit and has layers pellets but free ranges all the time and seems to pick up a lot of grit from the soil too. By the way, I got her the week after you got yours, Joojoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Just a few ideas here, I'm no expert! But it seems that this is the time of year when their egg production peaks, so we get lots of reports of enormous eggs and soft shelled eggs. The big eggs are usually double yolkers. As you said the softies have been laid on the same day as a normal egg - I think it takes about 23 hours for the shell to form, so if they are ovulating more frequently, the eggs will be coming through too fast for the shells to form. So you get either a double yolker, or a normal then a softie, or even a run of softies. Hopefully this should settle down and they will lay properly. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
