Kitchen Garden Forum

Picked up a whole shell free egg yesterday, I've had them before but never this size and complete. The girls have plenty of grits, indeed some of the shells need a really hard whack with a knife to crack them - would it just be one of the new ones coming into lay?

Also, two days ago I picked up a very large egg, with shell, but with another egg without a shell wrapped around the outside. The girls had eaten the yolk, but the white and the membrane were still all there, the membrane wrapped tight round the shell. I peeled the membrane off and the egg was perfect. Would this have been an "egg within an egg" that was being produced? I've read about them, but not seen it happen.

Normal eggs in shells would be so nice...

Sounds like one of your girls is having a bit of a practice run....mine probably won't start for another month or so.

You can get soft shells as they come into lay, and though this is often genetic it is best to ensure they have sufficient calcium.

Nowadays this is included in layers pellets (limestone is much cheaper than wheat!!!) but it is sometimes useful to make sure they have limestone or oystershell grit on offer in a separate pot.

To absorb calcium vitamin D is necessary, and as the "sunshine vitamin" at this time of year it is often lacking.

You can include this in the diet by adding little codliver oil or some linseeds/flaxseeds.

Thanks, there's been precious little sunshine recently, but they are on layers pellets and have grit available too.

If any more odd ones arrive I'll try the cod liver oil or seeds option.

Hi

Can I ask what effect does wheat have on hens egg laying please

Regards

Arnie

Layers pellets often contain the minimum protein requirements for a hybrid layer which can be as low as 15 percent, but wheat is even lower even down to 10 percent.

If your birds have total free range, and can get under trees and plants to find plenty of bugs then there will be no problem, but if they cannot get enough protein it will reduce laying, and can even lead to vices such as egg eating, feather pecking etc.