[robinson]

Help please.  We have 5 chickens and just over a week ago we got 5 eggs for the first time but one was soft.  The next day there was 4 eggs and a wet pile of stuff with a shrivelled shell on top of it.  Then nothing for a few days and then for the past 3 days I have had 5 lovely eggs.  Today however we have 3 lovely eggs, one enormous egg, one soft egg and another half a soft egg with just a yolk.  Should I be worried?

My youngest children love them and the youngest one does like giving the girls a cuddle but this has been happening all the time we have had them so I dont think they can be any more stressed than they have been since day one.

[joyfull]

How old are your girls, if they are young and just started laying then they will be just trying to get into the swing of the laying malarky. Do they have access all the time to oyster shell?

[colliebird]

I get these sort of eggs sometimes and my hens have constant access to oyster shell, are fed a good quality (organic) layers pellets, plus treats of mixed corn, wheat, fruit when available, crusts from toast and bread, etc.
I give the soft shelled ones to my dogs, the rest are for ME!!!!

x x x

[robinson]

Yes they do have access to oyster in a seperate container.  WE bought the girls in mid August at point of lay and have had one egg from day one.  This has gradually increased until we got the full set just over a week ago.