Very Soft Egg Shells

[PreChickenLady]

I have a chicken (I'm assuming it is the same chicken) laying eggs with very, very soft shells. I have actually been finding these eggs in the coop under the roost and I'm guessing she is laying them sometime during the night. I was getting these eggs on occasion but yesterday I found a "crushed" egg on the coop floor and then this morning I found another egg on the coop floor that was intact but was so soft I could barely pick it up. Again, I know that one of my red-sex linked is laying these eggs I just don't know which one (I have 2). All of my chickens have 24 hour access to organic feed, water and crushed egg shells for calcium (they refuse to eat oyster shells

). Any suggestions on what else I can/should be doing to fix this predicament?

 

[jc mac]

i had the exact same problem, i have 2 sex links, I read somewhere that
Tums was the answer, they do not eat the oyster shells. I gave each one a broken up Tums and then put a crushed tums in their water until I was down to once a week, problem solved. Let me know how you make out.

 

[Pork Pie]

I'm must confess Im a little envious of those members whose flock do well with growers / general flock feed and supplementary oyster shell (or powdered lime, in my case) for laying birds. My girls will simply not eat the supplementary calcium. I feed the whole flock layers feed as a consequence (with younger ones kept in a separate coop / run where i feed them growers feed). Its the only option that i could suggest.

CT

 

[PreChickenLady]

i had the exact same problem, i have 2 sex links, I read somewhere that 
Tums was the answer, they do not eat the oyster shells. I gave each one a broken up Tums and then put a crushed tums in their water until I was down to once a week, problem solved. Let me know how you make out.

Thanks!!!! I am trying adding a Tums to their water and will see how that goes! Today we found an egg on the coop floor when we let the chickens out but it was intact!

 

[Folly's place]

Don't add a calcium supplement to the water, as your birds will either drink less, or get too much calcium. Feed layer with oyster shell on the side, or an all flock diet also with separate oyster shell. A layer diet with too much other stuff, and no oyster shell, won't be good. Mashed up egg shells also aren't enough for heavy egg producers, and some hens just won't do well, no matter what you do. Mary