[Prod]

Hi  I have five chickens who each usually lay an egg each a day, give or take, and I can usually tell which bird laid which egg by the colour.  Today I collected 6 eggs. One was a soft shell and one was a sort of swirly brown/white.  I know its not the ancona or legbar as they lay white & blue but Im not sure who laid the odd ones.  I give them oyster grit and they free range range over a small field. In the evening, about 6pm, I put them behind the electric fencing  but that is  over 30sqm  so should be enough for 5 + the cockerel.  I did move the coop and fencing yesterday so as it give them a fresh area of grass and let the first area recoup.  I know it is not serious  but just unusual..

[Jomtie]

We got a couple of soft-shelled ones even though we had a grit and shell mix available, but since we have been mixing egg shell with their daily yoghurt we've had no more problems (touch wood). We just rinse and bake the shells for 10 - 15 mins when we have the oven on and then crush them up in a pestle and mortar. I give my girls a couple of spoons of live yoghurt every evening with a spoon of chopped boiled veg peelings and a heaped teaspoonful of egg shell mixed in. They really love it.

[mum23kids]

Hi - are the chickens relatively young?

I think it takes a while for everything to settle down in their laying systems! Like you I usually have an egg from each hen every day but one day had 6 eggs (only 4 hens!) 2 were softies and one of the others a strange small deformed one. Next day all back to normal.

We have also had some double yolkers and a couple of really tiny but perfectly formed ones.

As long as you have grit etc available don't think it's a cause for worry.

E

[Prod]

Yes I guess they are still young(ish) less than 6 mths anyway  and I have had eggs sizing from 3 1/2 inches down to one inch  so I guess you are right they may still be settling in.  I'm new to this, as you can guess, and it's fasinating watching them and learning about them. They do all have characters and some are more tame than others. Mine like apple, which i slice and hand feed them, and they are like piranhas!!!  and they know the sound of the corn rattling in th ejug which I use to get them into their pen for the night!!!