[ghost61]

I have tried everything (I think) to help one of my girls who consistently lays soft shelled eggs.  She has done so for months now, laying every other day.  I have added limestone flour to yoghurt, soluble calcium to their water, lots of good greens, grit and oyster shell mixed in with their pellets and strewn on the ground.

I am coming to terms with the fact that she may be incapable of producing enough calcium to form a hard shell, but if there is something else I can do, please help.

We are going on hols next weekend and the neighbours are looking after then hens whilst we are away.  They are aware of the problem, but I am so worried that she may end up with a broken egg inside her without them realising, so if there is a fix out there, I'd love to get her sorted out before we go away.

[LotuSeed]

Are you feeding the supplements to her directly or leaving it out free choice?  If it's the latter, I'd suggest feeding her from a syringe so that you know how much much she's actually getting. Good luck!

[grinling]

does she have any symptons of mycoplasmia? Does her breathing sound rattlely or bubbling in any eye?
How old is she and what breed? Is she free ranging or in a run.?

[ghost61]

She is a Light Sussex, two years old.  She was very poorly last year about this time, and recovered after a month but since then she has produced the odd good egg, but mainly soft shelled ones.  She stopped completely in October last year and it has started again since February.  We had hoped that she would have 'sorted' herself out. 

My three spend time in a run but also have free range of the garden when we are around.  They are all wormed regularly - just finished doing so last week.  The other two lay an egg every day and have no problems.  She is otherwise fit and healthy, eats well, drinks fine and runs around with the others.  No signs of any illness at all.  We always know when she is about to lay because she goes into a sulk, and then slopes off into the hen house and produces a soft shelled eggs minutes later. 

Her poo is normal, and she isn't in moult.  I have read that some hens just cannot convert the calcium needed to produced the eggshell, so am guessing that she is one of those.

[Sassy]

I had a hen who always laid eggs with a weak shell. My other hens laid good shelled eggs. All hens very fit and well.
Sometimes just one of those things.

[grinling]

I had a light sussex not knowing they are a dual bird. When she went into her first moult she never laid again and several months later she looked liked she wanted to and was seen to be trying. Had a feel, found nothing,but eventually she went downhill and had to be culled.
If she is happy I would leave her, would you know another chicken keeper who would help if something was wrong when you are away.

[ghost61]

Yes we do know someone, but they are likely to cull at the first sign of anything being wrong.  We have a good vet who keeps chickens so neighbour will be given their details.

[SamT]

I am having the same problem with one shes not been laying properly since she had her first moult this winter shes not quite 2 years old yet.  She goes into the hut thinking shes laying and produces nothing, but every couple of days she might pass a egg with very thin shell but its all squashed. We can tell when its brewing as she just sits and looks sleepy and upset for a while and when its passed shes back to her normal self.  She has loads of shell and pellets available to her, I was wondering whether there was something I could give her to help her along to fix the problem as its sad to see her when shes like this.  I see there are quite a few options of things to give them from what you have said, what would be the best one to start off on?  I seen lots of info on the internet about this problem but not many seem to have suggestions as to what to give them.  Thanks. 

[ghost61]

Sam, mine acts the same way, so we know when she is about to lay.  Everything we have tried has failed and so I think it is something genetic within her.  She is otherwise healthy, so all I watch out for is any sign of a broken egg in her (happened once, spotted a yellow bottom, and so bathe her and squeezed her bottom till it all passed out, including the soft shell).  That's my main worry, and all I hope is that by adding limestone flour to some treats, calcium in the water, etc that this helps prevent a broken egg.  I don't know what else to do, or to suggest to you.

[ghost61]

Been away for 10 days.  Neighbours said that she hadn't laid a thing whilst we were away.  That was confirmed by her still clean knickers (gave her a bath before I went on hols).  Day after we come back, guess what? She laid a soft shelled egg, mucking up her knickers!  The problem must be me!  She must be so keen to please me by laying an egg, even if she can't do it right.  Totally frustrated.

[danfinn1]

I have a hen something like that. She will just stand there and lay an egg on the patio, with no shell just the membrane. Then the next day I get a white thin shell egg. 

This bird has always been tempremental, went broody last summer. I have stopped a lot of the mixed corn treats and hand feed layer pellets instead to try and get the balance back.  I have noticed she gets problems in the hotter days   But apart from that she is well, running with the other two, growling and pecking too if there is conflict over a bug or worm.

I may take her to the vet if the problem continues

[Sgun]

We had the same problem with a not quite two year old hybrid after her first moult. We tried everything we could. limestone flour, shell-aid, calcium supplements etc but eventually she got peritonitis from the soft eggs and we had to cull her. I think that with some hens there is nothing you can do to help, its all the inbreeding to produce hens that will have high egg yields for the first year. It put me off certain hybrids as I don't want to have another hen that I can't help. Sorry I can't give more hopeful advice