Soft egg layer

[lettucegrow!]

Hi. One of my four girls is laying soft eggs and confused as to why. She occasionally lays a formed egg but even that is a different consistency to the others- almost china like and grainy. She's on the same diet as the rest and same age. Not sure what to do about this, she's happy and eating well, showing no signs of illness.Help!!

[Glutton4...]

My Batties tend to do this as they 'wind down' for retirement. First the shells get thin, brittle and china-like, just like you described. Then they get thinner and thinner, often with shell at the large end, graduating to sac at the other. Then they just lay softies. Then retire. I have one who recently followed that pattern, but then laid a few without any membrane at all, and now just the white. Only every few days, now, and is fine and healthy apart from that. I guess the supplies are just not all running out at the same time!

[Suechooks]

Like G4 says!

[lettucegrow!]

She's only three though. Was hoping she would have a few more egg laying years.

[Flummery]

Depends what breed she is. Pure breeds go on for longer though they don't lay every day. Hybrids have a shorter laying life but lay daily for a couple of years.

[RichmondHens]

She may have a problem with her calcium uptake, which is different from just getting insufficient calcium. The hen gets plenty of calcium but just cannot process it properly. She is obviously laying regularly, just not normal eggs. Intermittent soft eggs and then grainy chalky shelled ones does suggest some sort of problem with getting the shells laid down. It might be something that does not get better though.

[lettucegrow!]

She's a silver sussex hybrid, Flummery.
Is there anything I can do to aid the calcium uptake or is that just the way she is, Richmond? In the long run it doesn't really matter. I have a real soft spot for this particular girl as she survived a dog attack and broken wing in her first year.You wouldn't know it now to look at her, she looks very healthy.