Two of my six started laying about ten days ago. The eggs are maybe half the size I expected and yesterday I found one that was just a membrane sac, no shell at all, sitting under the roost. They're on layer pellets with oyster shell available free choice. Should I be worried or does this sort itself out?
Both normal for the first month or so. A new layer's plumbing is essentially being tested — tiny eggs, double yolkers, wrinkled shells, occasional shell-less ones, all standard while the system calibrates. Egg size climbs steadily and usually settles around week 30.
The one worth watching is repeated shell-less eggs after about six weeks of laying, or shell-less eggs from an established hen. That's when you start looking at calcium absorption, and specifically at whether they're actually eating the oyster shell rather than just having it available.
Mark the level with a pen on the side of the dish and check in a week. Six birds where only two are laying won't get through much — most of a flock ignores it until they need it, which is exactly how free choice is supposed to work.
How would I tell if they're eating it? The dish level barely seems to change.
Enjoy the small ones. Pullet eggs have a much higher yolk to white ratio and are genuinely better for fried eggs on toast than anything you'll get later.
Finding it under the roost rather than in the nest box is also a first-timer thing. They lay it wherever they happen to be until the nesting instinct kicks in properly. Give it a fortnight.
Don't add calcium supplement to the water or feed on top of layer pellets in an attempt to fix this. Too much calcium for birds who aren't laying yet causes kidney problems. Free choice oyster shell is the right approach, just be patient.
@wild_ferment · 2mo ago · 2 replies
Make sure the layer pellets are actually layer feed and not grower — a lot of people forget to switch and grower is well short on calcium. If they're still on grower at 20 weeks that would explain the soft shell more than anything else.
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@levain_lorna · 2mo ago
Switched them at 18 weeks, so that should be fine. Good thing to check though.
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