Soft Eggs

[Phil Black Rock]

Have I got a problem, now my Black Rocks are up and laying [at last] I have been getting 4, 5 or even 6 eggs per day, not bad for 6 chickens. Problem, last 3 days have got a soft shell each day, just the inner membrane. Chooks have plenty of grit and shell to go at, so am I doing something wrong................

Phil

)chu:

[melons]

My dozy bints went through that stage too, but they are ex bats so I put it down to fatigue (probably wrong)
Some people on the PP forum use a stuff called "shellmax" not used it myself, as mine just righted itself after only one laid a few weirdo's.
We had a lot of storms & I guess something like that must have interrupted the egg on it's merry way down the pipes to the outside world
Hope it rights itself soon enough.

[Willow]

Hi Phil.. I think I'd rather lay a soft egg myself.. but I suppose I'm not a chook.... At what age did yours start laying??

[Mo]

They all do that when they start, they'll get it right eventually. Then when they get old it starts happening again (unless I'm diong something wrong too)
It's OK as long as they don't get a taste for eating the eggs and start cracking open the good ones as well, then it becomes a race.

[wendy]

Yep, that's the problem here Mo. They get most I get the occassional one :cry:
Wendy

[morph]

Wendy

Haven't you tried putting in rubber or china eggs - I'm told it should work, as when they try and peck at them they can't get through the "shell" and soon get bored?!

[wendy]

Yes, They had a rubber egg in there for weeks, and it made no difference
I also put a blown egg in there with mustard in it. When they ate that. I put one with english mustard mixed with tabasco sauce in and that went. I think they began to think I was seasoning them for them LOL. They are very persistant, or is that single minded ???
Fortunately I didn't get them for their eggs, as we don't eat many. I got them to save their lives, an odd egg is enough to thank me .
Wendy

[Phil Black Rock]

Thanks for the response fellow chook keepers, Back on song this morning, well dinner timeish, 5 wonderful eggs again, you just can't beat it can you this chicken keeping jobby.

WILLOW

These were my first chickens, 6 Black Rocks as you may have seen. I had them from about 12 weeks old and started to worry when they got past the magical 18 week point of lay time and no eggs were forthcoming.
BUT
About 24/25 weeks the first egg was produced, one a day for a couple of days, then we had two for a few days, then back to one for a day, then as if by magic four all at once, then five and we have even had a magnificent six, by the way, several of them were huge double yolkers.
So to answer your question the first one started 24/25 weeks the last one say 26/27 weeks.

Good luck with your girls.

Phil

)chu: