[ginaclements]

my 3 hens lay an egg each every day.
however, one evening last week i found 2 soft shelled eggs on the grass. how bizarre! was one hen laying 2? were 2 hens laying soft at the same time???
next day, 2 normal eggs and nothing from bluebelle! ah ha it's bluebelle.
last night there were 2 more after she'd layed normal in the morning?
can anyone explain this to me please? i'm aware that it's a lack of calcium that produces soft shells, but 3 eggs a day!! that can't be right?

[daisy1990]

hens can lay soft shelled eggs for reasons other than lack of calcium.  Hens when they start laying often lay soft shelled as do hens getting to the end of their laying careers.  Stress, illness and heat can also result in soft shelled eggs.  My Quail have laid a soft shelled egg this morning (I didnt know they did this-its a first for me and I have ten Quail!)  If they look otherwise well I wouldn't worry

[ginaclements]

ok Daisy, thanx
xxx

[JACDORE]

we have soft shells layed every now and then too but the girls remain healthy.  We know who it is and she's coming up to 2yrs old and the last of her original batch so its maybe the end of her egg laying days soon but, after the odd one or two, it soon goes back to normal.  I think the older they get the thinner the shell too and out of our 6, her being the eldest, she certainly lays thinner shells.  Never heard of 3 eggs though in one day 

[Lindeggs]

I've read the occasional story on here of a hen laying two eggs in one day.  It's usually one first thing in the morning and one last thing in the evening (or one overnight laid while she is roosting).  The second egg usually has a soft shell simply because there isn't enough time to prepare the calcium for a full shell before it is laid.

As Daisy said if her health is otherwise fine, it's nothing to be concerned about.

[Beano]

One of mine layed soft egg and a normal egg in one day. She hasn't done it since. I guess she must have accidentally rushed one through for some reason. She's ok though.