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Hello

I acquired some chickens before christmas, everything has been great, they have been laying with no problem. (well 2 out of 3 birds.) However, this morning i found an egg that had no shell to it. It was like a soft rubber in texture and smaller than the normanl size eggs they produce. Is this normal??? Have i done something wrong?? Please help.

Thanks

It quite often occurs at the beginning of their monthly egg laying cycle so shouldn't be anything to worry about. You might also see some tiny yolk-less eggs. If it it becomes the norm then you'll have to add some dried and ground eggshells or sea-shells to their feed.

Thank you for your advice, hopefully panic over!!

Thanks

look on http://www.thepoultrysite.com
good advice there from other chicken keepers.
i have 11 chickens and 1 rooster but havn`t had this problem yet,you may need to give oyster grit.my friend had a couple of hens that laid rubber eggs,she gave the grit and it worked for her.

I have a duck laying them with blood and she was eggbound the other night with a prolapsed bum (for want of a more technical word for bum). We were so worried we would find her either dead or needing to be put down the next morning but she was right as rain!

She laid another one like that this morning. She ain't right as she's always got a dirty bum but I am now giving the ducks calcium by giving them a handful of oyster shell with their feed plus a vitamin tonic.

Thanks to all for the advice. Will get some grit.

Cheers

No, not grit, crushed oyster shell. There is a difference and both serve different purposes - they need grit to help crush/digest their food as they don't have teeth and the grit helps this happen in their crops.

The oystershell is a form of calcium which is important in their diets as not only does it help form eggshells but also is needed for the muscular passing of an egg.

As you said one of your hens wasn't yet laying it's most likely her. The first few eggs are quite often hit and miss. Keep an eye on the chucks, but unless any look in distress I wouldn't panic.

Thanks again, and i will get oyster shell.

Cheers

Millymollymandy wrote:No, not grit, crushed oyster shell. There is a difference and both serve different purposes - they need grit to help crush/digest their food as they don't have teeth and the grit helps this happen in their crops.

The oystershell is a form of calcium which is important in their diets as not only does it help form eggshells but also is needed for the muscular passing of an egg.

do you put it in wirh the layers pellets or in a seperate dish pls

contadina is probably right, if you have 2 out of 3 laying, then this shell-less egg may be the first from your third bird, and she may a lay a couple more till she gets the hang of it.

gunners71uk wrote:

Millymollymandy wrote:No, not grit, crushed oyster shell. There is a difference and both serve different purposes - they need grit to help crush/digest their food as they don't have teeth and the grit helps this happen in their crops.

The oystershell is a form of calcium which is important in their diets as not only does it help form eggshells but also is needed for the muscular passing of an egg.

do you put it in wirh the layers pellets or in a seperate dish pls

i put it in a separate dish - i have one wired to the fence with drainage holes.. i just top it up when I notice it empty

You can also use the egg shells as well - it's just recycling the calcium that's all

Wash the egg shells & pop them on a baking tray - bake them for a few minutes in a hot oven & then crush them finely - works just as well as the crushed oyster shell

JulieSherris wrote:You can also use the egg shells as well - it's just recycling the calcium that's all

Wash the egg shells & pop them on a baking tray - bake them for a few minutes in a hot oven & then crush them finely - works just as well as the crushed oyster shell

as i understand it, the calcium in egg shells is not digestible by hens. They will eat the egg shells, but it only provides them with grit for their crops, not calcium. They need to get calcium in a soluble form.. there should be enough of it in layers pellets.

Ah.... maybe the shells need to be crushed to a fine powder before the calcium can be absorbed, Red?
I got the info from: http://www.makeitandmendit.com/2009/07/ ... eggshells/

I now have a bag on the back door for the collection of used egg shells - hubby really thinks I've lost it now!!