Preventing Soft-Shelled Eggs in Your Backyard Chicken Coop

When pullets first start laying eggs, their bodies are trying to get the process down and they can sometimes lay odd eggs, including misshapen eggs, tiny yolk-less eggs and shell-less or soft-shelled eggs. Soft-shelled eggs result from an incomplete egg production process. The membrane surrounds the yolk and the white but the hard calcified shell never forms around the membrane. As a pullet's system gets used to the process, her eggs will become more regular.

However, soft-shelled eggs from older hens or from several hens at the same time can signal a problem. Hens need significant amounts of calcium to make eggs properly. Fortunately, most calcium deficiencies and other problems can be corrected quickly. Here are four ways to track down and correct the source of your soft-shelled chicken eggs.

1. Feed hens a commercial balanced pellet feed.

Commercial layer feed contains the right amounts of many nutrients that chickens need including calcium and phosphorus. If your hens are free-range and forage for much of their own food, you may have to supplement their calcium intake as it will be very difficult for them to get enough in a natural diet.

2. Offer ground oyster shells.

Ground oyster shells are the most common supplement for laying hens. The shells are rich in calcium and the grinding makes them small enough to be absorbed by the chickens. Offer the oyster shells to the chickens freely. They will eat the right amounts for their body. Note that this is not the same thing as giving chickens grit for their gizzards.

3. Grind up egg shells.

Some chicken owners save the eggshells from cooked eggs, dry them out and grind them finely. They then give these shells back to the chickens much like the oyster shells above. I do not feed my own hens any animal products and definitely no eggs or eggshells. If the shells are not sanitized properly, they can carry salmonella and spread it around the flock.

4. Ensure hens are healthy and stress-free.

Hens that are under stress often experience interrupted laying cycles. This makes sense when you think about them in the wild. If they are running or flying from predators, it would slow them down to have to lay an egg. Stress can also sometimes result in soft-shelled or shell-less eggs. Ensure that you do not have predators lurking around the property or the chicken pens. Any animal could scare chickens including cats, dogs, foxes, raccoons, and even mice. Make sure that the chickens have a refuge to get away from the predators the next time they show up.