Keeping Chickens Newsletter

In 'Success With Poultry' the author says that soft-shelled eggs may be "the result of diseased organs of reproduction and especially of the oviduct. Excessively fat hens are liable to lay soft-shelled eggs when the layers of fat are so abundant as to force the egg out before it can receive a sufficient coating of shell. Heavy laying birds are also thus afflicted, by reason of the egg passages being weakened by continual strain and not being able to retain an egg after the shell begins to harden. In exceptional cases it may be the lack of shell forming elements in the food." In terms of 'shell forming elements in food' they should in theory be getting the right vitamins and nutrients for laying from their complete layers crumble (assuming it makes up around 90% of their daily intake), the crushed oyster shell you are giving is a good calcium supplement. Another element which is important to the shells is grit - which the following subscribers tip may help with.

Chickmama (Kelly) : Hi. I am very much enjoying this newsletter! Outstanding! I was just reading about a person having some rehabilitating battery hens and one of them is laying "soft-shelled" eggs. I thought I might share some recently acquired advice. Mine was for reverse use, but it may help...

My hens have continually from their first egg, layed very hard-shelled eggs. Since most people don't have this problem it was hard to find the answer. Evidently there is a very strong difference in the value of the grit offered to hens. Oyster shell is great for calcium, but it offers little actual gritty value to aid in digestion and therefore many of the nutrients in their feed ration is passed through undigested. That said I will add that my hens have always free ranged since brooding them myself and after release into the yard, they have had absolutely NO grit given by me. My driveway however has been an astounding provider of grit and therein lies my problem...limestone produces amazingly hard shelled eggs...perhaps a small load of limestone pea-gravel could solve the soft-shelled problem with almost no effort and maybe help the hen in question use her food ration more effectively in rehabbing her body as well.

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