Calcium Deficiency in Chickens The likely reason why your hens may lay soft-shelled eggs is that they still don’t have enough calcium. Calcium deficiency can result in laying low-quality eggs with poorly developed shells.
Thin or soft shelled eggs are caused by:
Not enough calcium in the diet. Calcium absorption problem. Too much ACV or Apple cider Vinegar. Young birds first eggs. Old chickens are known to lay more soft shelled eggs., and hot weather. Summer heat is the most probable cause. The chickens health. Too much protein in the diet. Egg drop syndrome or EDS., and more items.
You could be thinking “Why are my chickens laying thin shell eggs?”
One of the most frequent causes of laying thin shell or soft eggs is a diet low in calcium. While most quality layer feeds have extra calcium in them, you should still offer a supplement just to make sure your hens get enough. If your laying chickens aren’t eating enough calcium, soft eggs aren’t your only concern.
What does it mean when chickens lay soft eggs?
A soft egg can indicate any sort of illness, from a bacterial infection to a virus to trauma, and more. If you think your hen is sick, then only a vet can diagnose her exact illness and recommend a treatment. In my experience, once the illness is resolved, the hen starts laying healthy shelled eggs again.
A query we ran across in our research was “Can a chicken lay both a coated and a soft shell egg?”.
In such cases, a hen may not lay an egg one day but may lay both a coated and a soft shell egg on the next. Here are some external factors for egg shell variations:.
Some have found that It generally does not hurt a hen to lay an egg. Although, for young chickens new to egg laying or for extra-large eggs, it may be quite painful for an egg to be passed. Gasping noises and bleeding are some signs that the laying was painful. Some breeds of chickens are great egg layers, laying up to 300 eggs per year.
What causes soft shelled eggs to crack easily?
Trying to handle a soft shelled egg – easily cracked. Lack of Calcium A hen who is lacking calcium in her diet will typically have thin, and sometimes rubbery or non-existent, shells. Hens need calcium in order to construct lovely eggs on a daily basis.
Why do chickens only lay large and extra large eggs?
‘Those higher in sugar, like cake and biscuits, offer few nutritional benefits and are less filling than fibre-rich carbohydrates such as pulses and wholegrains, which also contain minerals and vitamins essential for health.’.