[alan m]

Hi every one, cleaned out the hen house today found 3 eggs - membrane only,  no shell. These were burried in their litter currently using Easibed (dust free horse bedding) they are on layers mash, access to grit and mixed corn at tea time as a treat, am i doing something wrong ? should i give them oyster shell? as a newbi to chickens i am a bit concerned, these are ex batt birds. ..alan

[Wildman]

We get the same, ours are all ex bats about 56 in all. We give them all you say but still from time to time get this. I think they have done so much work all their life, you may find some die but think of the good time they are having with you now, poor things.

[Rosemary]

We get the odd softshelled egg and ours aren't ex-battery. I think it just happens sometimes. Just make sure to remove them regularly as it can encourage egg-eating.

[alan m]

Hi, after reading just about every article on the web about poultry egg laying problems i have decided the following: adding extra crushed oyster shell into their feed at the rate of 1oz per 10oz, it might seem excessive but i have checked the lable on their feed and although it states that extra calcium isn`t needed it doesn`t state what percentage it contains tells me all about protien content 16percent etc.Allen & Page organic layers pellets. Could it be that their new feed is too different in its content to what the poor little things have been eating, (have read that they get some pretty nasty bits in their diet (chemicals))Still looking on the bright side the one that is laying (I call her 9 am) approx time that she lays is pretty reliable, they all look much healthier, combs and wattles now turning red, happy to scratch what was an immaculate lawn to shreds in their pen and quite eager for their treat at tea time, 2 of them will only sleep in the nest boxes so have put 2 boards in to prevent entry at night (will end in tears)hoping that they will use their perches to roost.will also be putting the new girl in tomorrow night , Lesley Austin from the BHWT suggests lightly spraying them all with a dilute solution of vinegar so they smell the same and wont peck her at night, still havn`t named 2 of them but my other half calls them Anne Robinson 1 & 2 . Thanks to all for the help ..alan

[countrygirlatheart]

Hi Alan

Mine aren't ex-batts but have had one soft shell egg out of 4 for the last couple of days.  Interestingly I have recently changed to organic layers pellets too.  They have possibly been getting too much corn lately tho which I remember someone telling me you had to 'balance out' with grit so maybe thats a contributory factor ?  (also read somewhere - possibly in this forum that corn is the equivalent to chocolate and should really be regarded as a treat so have cut back on it). Have added more grit too.  They're all bright and cheery tho (spoilt rotten more like !)

My names are  - Evil Edna, Magnificent Millicent, Blondie and Specky