elpolloloco! Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi Can anyone give me any advice - we had 4 new point of lay hens last April. 3 of them started laying within weeks but one didn't lay until november. Since then she has laid regular eggs but ALL of them have been soft shelled and end up collapsed in the poo tray or eaten if she lays in the nesting box. She is otherwise completly healthy, eats the same diet as the others, comes for all food has access to oyster shell and grit and we have also given her ground baked shells and natural yoghurt to boost her calcium all with improvement Thanks for any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elpolloloco! Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sorry!!! I meant there has been NO improvement by anything we have done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 You can get a liquid called Davinova C to add to their water as a calcium supplement. I've not used it but have heard good things about it I'd stop with the oystershell and baked shells for a while. Just add a bit of limestone flour to their pellets, with a little bit of Cod Liver Oil added to make it stick to the pellets and help with calcium asorption Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random_Girl66 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Hi, elpolloloco! Just wondered if there had been any improvement in your soft shelled egg situation ? My speckledy hen who 20 weeks now has been laying since we got her but always soft shells. Two others are laying fine and one hasn't started yet. I haven't tried the various supplements yet although have increased the oyster grit and reduced treats so that they eat more mash. The eggs were very soft but now seem to be wrapped in a paper shell so I'm hoping that this is a good sign. Seems such a shame to waste her eggs but I've assumed we can't eat them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I would say if the eggs are very fresh intact and clean you would have no problem using them straight away, we use such eggs in cakes etc. Some hens in my experience just do lay soft shelled eggs, and the shells get softer as the hens age. We have one nearly 2 year old hybrid who always lays very thin shelled eggs, the shells are also the texture of sandpaper. We use most of her eggs in baking, because the whites tend to be quite watery too, so even when super fresh they can't be poached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
