Single hen

[Valkyrie]

DD, as you may or may not know, is at catering college. They have stopped her from cracking eggs as she shatters them. She has told the teacher that's what happens when you buy battery eggs (not sure of their supply, but she is doing her best to convert everyone there)! Our girlies shells are so hard that she has developed a heavier hand when breaking them open - and forgets to use the lighter touch at college!

Does anybody else have eggs with hard shells? Is it normal with home grown or can it be remedied?

[Janepie33]

I think it is quite normal to have harder shells from our happy chickens. I have one that is getting on a bit and her shells are much softer than the others, so I have to be extra gentle when cracking her eggs.

A friend of mine also has chickens and if she stays with friends and has a boiled egg, she smashes the whole top off the egg and not just the shell as she is used to 'proper' egg shells!

[splodge88]

Our eggs are much harder than shop ones too! If we buy them, we buy free range but the shells are still much softer compared to our own eggs. My mum shattered a shop egg when we ran out of our own and had to buy instead...egg EVERYWHERE.

[..lay a little egg for me]

One of ours lays fairly thin-shelled eggs (don't know who), two are medium hard and one is really really hard. Cracking eggs successfully is, therefore, a bit of a lottery in this house!

[Valkyrie]

Thank you all for your input. I wonder if chicken type is a factor. But it's nice to know I am not alone with concrete egg shells. I think perhaps DD should apply the softly softly approach for starters so that she can judge how much force is required. I gather they were being taught to break an egg open in one hand - not something I would dare. As it is I manage to crack ours but then have to prise them open!

Maybe I ought to let her take a couple of ours in for the teacher to have a go and see how he manages. After her one-man barrage of "buy better eggs", I am not sure I want to go and visit their restaurant too soon in case they give me a grilling for having healthy, happy hens!