[Elcie]

Hi everyone,
we got our usual egg in the nesting box today which I collected when I got home from work.  Went out for an hour and then when I came back there was a soft shelled egg in the run.

Is it likely that the same hen who layed one this morning, and has been laying for two weeks, layed a soft shelled one this evening, or is this more likely to be the first egg from one of our other two hens who haven't laid yet?

Also, how do you eat yours?!

[Vember]

Hi Elcie

I would imagine it's from one of the one's who've yet to lay Are they due to come into lay soon?

I have had a hard and a soft shall come out same day from the same hen but she was getting on and towards the end of her laying life

Answer to the last question Boiled with b&b to make a warm butty 

Sarah

[joyfull]

poached on hot buttered toast 

[Hensington]

A hens laying cycle is approx 25 hours so it's likely to have been a new hens first go.

[joyce c]

When I got my first soft shell, I Googled the query, (before I discovered this fab site). One of the replies I got said that soft shell could possibly be caused by the hen having had a fright. That at the time made sense to me, as my little dog often barked at them, whilst we were feeding them and not her.  Just another possibility for you to think about.  My grand children were fascinated, so it was a lesson for them too   

[Roughlee Handled]

.. that soft shell could possibly be caused by the hen having had a fright. That at the time made sense to me, as my little dog often barked at them, whilst we were feeding them and not her.

Not true I am afraid. Its an old wives tail.  Soft shells are cause by a Lack of calcium in the diet or a hen coming into lay and sickness. 

[Sadgit]

mine are still laying brittle shelled eggs and have been for a while now. they get layers pellets only at them moment and still brittle shells. So brittle I often find broken eggs in the nesting box, which is a total pain as it needs cleaning out daily. I did feed them some sunflower seeds and for the 1st time in ages I had 3 perfect eggs the other day. Not had any more sunflower seeds to give them and straight back to broken eggs... no idea why as they should get everything they need from the pellets...

[Roughlee Handled]

Sadgit do you offer oyster shell or give back there shells crushed (after being baked for a while to kill the nasties).
How old are your chucks?
They are supposed to get everything from the pellets its best to give a supplement of calcium.

[Debz]

I have one girl who lays a soft one about once a fortnight.  She is just over a year old, on layers pellets and has access to oyster shell and grit.  She is in with 2 other girls who have never laid soft ones to my knowledge so I don't know what else I can do for her.  She gets all hunched up when it is going to happen but is usually fine the next day although she often takes that day off from laying too.

[Roughlee Handled]

Has she been wormed recently?

[Sadgit]

Sadgit do you offer oyster shell or give back there shells crushed (after being baked for a while to kill the nasties).
How old are your chucks?
They are supposed to get everything from the pellets its best to give a supplement of calcium.

yep they get their shells back and Oyster shell... and they are about 2 years old now.

[Roughlee Handled]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

[joyfull]

perhaps yours just need the minerals or oil thats found in sunflower seeds - mine have sunflower hearts mixed in with their mixed corn (not too expensive from wilkinsons  ).

[Roughlee Handled]

Are they a hybrid sadgit?  Could they becoming to the end of there productive life?

[Elcie]

Thanks for all the replies.  The plot thickens as there was a very small soft shelled egg in the run last night, so approximately 4 hours after the other one and we didn't get an egg today from our usual layer.  Now wondering whether it is a coincidence or whether it was the same hen.  Will see what tomorrow brings and let you know.