As laying season will start to pick up soon, it's time to prep your Chooky friends for optimal health which leads to quality eggs. [ideal for making delicious cakes.]
"My chickens are laying BUT the shells are soft" (In some cases non-existent.)
Lets start with the basics, Chickens need a balance of nutrients and proteins. Layer Hens are omnivores and they eat a wide variety of foods. This can be achieved with a mix of your kitchen scraps (fruits, vegetables, grains, pasta, breads, cereals etc;) In addition to this it is extremely important to contribute a good quality commercial poultry feed into their diets to ensure adequate nutrition is achieved. These feeds can come in a pellet, mash or crumbed form and is made up of key grains.
So what causes soft egg shells? Commonly known as rubber eggs. The most frequent reason for egg shells being soft or in some cases non-existent is a calcium deficiency. So now your asking what causes a calcium deficiency in chickens? There can be a few contributing factors such as: poor diet, age or illness.
If you already supply your chickens a good quality poultry mix and / or layer pellets we would suggest adding in shell grit into their diets. This can be purchased in store in 1kg & 5kg options and only requires a little amount in a tin or container (fed separately to their feed) to sit inside your chook coop allowing them to peck away as needed. In most cases this should be sufficient, however in some cases you may require a Calcium and D3 supplement to add into their diet. (Chickens can more commonly become Vitamin D3 Deficient in the winter months)
Its important to also consider the age of your laying hens if they are young and only just started laying, their shells may start soft but should get harder once their reproductive organs mature. On the other side of age, If your hen is at the end of their laying cycle and getting old in age their shell quality can decline.
If your laying hens diet is balanced and they are at their prime laying age and you are still seeing soft egg shells, or no shells it is important to consider consulting with your vet for other possible underlying health issues.
All products discussed in this article are available to purchase at Bedwells Feedbarn Bathurst & Wallerawang. #YepGotChooks