Strange hens eggs

[JillA]

One of my three hens is laying eggs with soft shells - but only at one end. The other end is normal shell. They have oyster shells which they do help themselves to and layers pellets but this is the third or fourth now (and some have disintegrated in the next box so really soft shelled). Any ideas please anyone - they are rescues, two warrens and a black rock, all over 5 years of age and proper free ranging farmyard birds, eating all sorts of vegetation as well as their corn and pellets.

 

[Evie91]

No advice but I recently picked up some ex batts and in the past week one or two of them have been having the exact same issue! Couple of eggs squashed in the nest box, the ones that survive are a much lighter colour (and thinner shell) at the top of the egg and normal on the bottom!
Same as yours have pellets, spice, grit and varied diet. Will be interested in any responses.

 

[cremedemonthe]

One of my ducks is having the same problem, really weird and never seen it before in 40 years of keeping poultry

 

[MotherOfChickens]

worm them.

 

[jrp204]

It will often sort itself out, if the hens are outside and having a commercial layers feed they shouldn't need grit or shell.

 

[cremedemonthe]

I've narrowed mine down to stress, the drake was getting very over the top in treading them.
Now I have removed the drake, the eggs are recovering so are the ducks.

 

[sandi_84]

One of my older hens was doing this, tried everything and nothing helped. Apparently sometimes it can just be down to old age.