soft egg?

[cocky]

Just new to the chicken keeping game and finding it tough. Got bullying as they are all different ages.5 eggs so far 1 got stood on and smashed as they won't lay in the nesting box. This morning found an egg that was totally soft, 1 of them is just starting to lay, could this be from her?
Cheers

[terrier]

Hi, cocky, welcome to the vine. I'll not offer any advice as I'm not that knowledgable on chooks, but while you're waiting for the more experienced to reply, you could try a search (search function at the top of the page on the green menu bar) for 'soft eggs' and click on 'show posts'. That brings up lots of previous discussion on the subject. Good luck with your chooks.

[Tracey]

Hi Cocky

I'm also new to chicken keeping and we're expecting our first eggs in December. From my research you need a form of calcium in the chickens diet to make the egg shells. This could be crushed shells or egg shells cooked in the oven, crumbled and added to their food. To get the chickens to lay in the nest box, you can buy pretend eggs that you put in there. It's supposed to help inprint them with where they are supposed to lay. But once they start to lay in the nest box don't leave it there as it can make them broody. Let me know how you get on.

Tracey

[ChrisB]

Hi Cocky

Relax, chickens are for enjoying.

They will sort themselves out re the bullying. Sounds as if they're just sorting out the pecking order, quite normal for them but us humans don't like to see it.

As you say, the soft egg could well be from the one who is just starting to lay. It takes a while for them to settle into laying, and being the time of year it is, you may find they stop again until spring.

As long as your girls have access to food, water, grit, oystershell and somewhere cosy to roost at night there is nothing more to provide for them. If they're free ranging at all, you may not even need the grit and oystershell.

They should give you hours of amusement if you have the time to watch them

[rustylady]

I haven't had anything to do with chickens since I was a girl - Mum and Dad kept 6 of them in the back garden. However, I do know that when an egg is freshly laid the shell is soft, and hardens up on contact with the air - could that be it? You may have caught her unawares!

[MissGreen]

You girls probably just have to practice a bit before they get it rigth

[cocky]

thanks

thanks everyone, I feel better already. It has been quite stressful getting everything sorted.
Cheers

[jonny_s_p]

Hi, I got chickens a couple of months ago. We had a couple of soft eggs. We noticed it coincided with an increase in egg numbers. My guess was it was one of the birds first ones. Now all the birds are laying we don't get any.

I'm sure they will be fine.

Cheers

John

[roitelet]

No need to buy expensive false eggs, ping pong balls work just as well. Used them in the nest box as an exercise in chicken education and they worked really well. Now if they start laying anywhere other than the nest box in go the balls and problem solved