Thin Shelled Eggs

Hi all! Right after my last post about how many eggs we got in a week, we had another new layer drop a very odd egg into the nest box. I just want to take the opportunity to discuss the details about the egg. I'm not sure who the mystery hen was yet.

First, I just want to quickly touch on the color of the egg. Eggs have a protective layer on them called a bloom. It is there to protect the contents from bacteria. Though the bloom is a protective covering, it is a bit delicate. Washing fresh eggs removes this protective layer and allows bacteria to penetrate through small pores in the shell. If fresh eggs are stored unwashed until ready for use they will store longer under normal conditions. Before the egg exits the chicken's vent, it is "sprayed" with the bloom. Some chicken breeds have a colored bloom that can come off in your hands if the egg is very freshly layed! Sometimes, especially with newer layers, the bloom will be "sprayed" in a spotty fashion. Hence the speckled or blotchy appearance.

Secondly, and more importantly, the new egg layer is low on calcium. Her shell was so thin it cracked when she layed it and when my fingernail gently tapped it. While this is a bit of a pain, it's nothing to be alarmed about since it's easily rectified. Thin egg shells are caused by a calcium deficiency. Since egg shells are so high in calcium, a hen must receive this in her diet. While many layer feeds are enriched with calcium, sometimes you just have to provide a little extra calcium free choice. This can be crushed egg shells or crushed oyster shell. The hens will eat what they need.

I'm going to start giving the girls oyster shell tonight. In the mean time, come back soon for a tutorial on serving up crushed eggs to laying hens.

Thanks for reading!

Update: I have completed the tutorial for crushed eggshells! You can find it here.