[bajmoe]

I keep finding soft eggs on the coop floor, (never in the nest box), they look like  normal eggs but without the hard shell, can anyone explain what's happening?

Is this what they call a rubber egg,

[8doubles]

I keep finding soft eggs on the coop floor, (never in the nest box), they look like  normal eggs but without the hard shell, can anyone explain what's happening?

Is this what they call a rubber egg,

A rubber egg is an egg made of rubber for encouraging hens to lay in the nestbox.

The softies often under the perch are layed prematurely during the night and hens often struggle to pass a softie . If one bursts internally it can lead to nasty infections such as egg peritonitis.
Try to make sure the hens get a good fill of layer pellets first thing in the morning before free ranging , cutting right back on treats can help as well.
You really can kill hens with kindness if you feed too much food with no egg laying staple ingredients.
Oyster shell is often ignored by hens with no diet sense !

[SL]

My columbian blacktail (Maggie) used to be prone to laying soft shelled eggs. A few times she would lay two soft shelled eggs (exactly as in your photo) and then a normal hard shelled egg in one day. She wouldn't go into the house to lay them as normal but they would just fall out of her bottom while she wondering around.
Unfortunately she succumbed to egg peritonitis and died two weeks ago, despite my very best efforts to save her (I took her to the vet, got 2 weeks worth of antibiotics and metacam) she lost her battle and died in her sleep. She was 15 months and was very fit and healthy and full of beans until around a month before she died.

I think some chickens are just more prone to softies than others. She had plenty of layers pellets, daily layers mash, poultry spice and oyster shell grit. I even used to bake egg shells and crush them up to add to the grit for added calcium. The other hen has never laid a soft shelled egg on the same diet.

[nerdle]

If things are bad the vet can give your hen a shot of calcium.  You can also get calcium to put in their drinking water.

[barley]

I have one that regularly does this but all the other hens are fine - they all get the same diet

so maybe its just she's made that way 

[BabbyAnn]

I have one that regularly does this but all the other hens are fine - they all get the same diet

so maybe its just she's made that way 

I have one that occasionally lays a shell less egg but it's been months since the last one and I put it down to winter weather and lack of sunlight (Vitamin D) so I would sometimes add cod liver oil or limestone flour to the morning mash as well as crushed egg shells with oyster shell available at all times, so I know they all get plenty of calcium.  Even the ACV regime is limited to just 3 days every 2.5 weeks (acidic conditions prevent uptake of calcium)   So a bit of a surprise to find a softie this afternoon, and in the main run too, so I'm inclined to think she will always lay the odd softie regardless of diet and more to do with a defective shell gland.

[bajmoe]

my 5 girls have access to  layers pellets and Oyster shell grit  from dawn to dusk, I let them out to free range on my allotment for about 3 hours a day, then late afternoon they are given treats mixed corn / meal worn to forage, (which i will now cut back on)

I get 5 eggs a day from my 5 girls so i don't know who is giving me the softie?

[8doubles]

Sounds like one has an ovary which is out of sync .
The two eggs being produced at the same time one has to make an early exit without a shell.

[BabbyAnn]

Sounds like one has an ovary which is out of sync .
The two eggs being produced at the same time one has to make an early exit without a shell.

That actually makes a lot of sense

[8doubles]

Sounds like one has an ovary which is out of sync .
The two eggs being produced at the same time one has to make an early exit without a shell.

That actually makes a lot of sense

That's unusual for me !