no shell

[cock o the north]

i have a hen which keeps laying eggs without shells whats the problem? and is there any way they will hatch?

[carlsberg]

probably a calcium deficiency there is a thread on here somewhere that suggests calcium tablets

[Guest cloudview]

no  they  will never hatch   ,,,   as the hen  got  access to grit  minerals  etc etc ,how old is the hen .  try putting grit   in her nest box  as some  cocks  won,t  give  the hen a chance  on loft floor  to eat  any grit

[cock o the north]

cheers ill give the calcium tablets ago. shes 2 years old.

[madmaxlofts]

why dont you try sprinkling some baby milk powder over the corn

[jimmy white]

i had a hen that laid shelless eggs ,, every time,, i asked armand scheers [gardens brother ;D]     in broken english , he said "some thing wrong with its egg laying machinary"   ive only had one hen like that in a lifetime ,,no they wont hatch

[Guest IB]

I think if it is happening with all the hen's eggs then the part in the oviduct that coats the egg with eggshell isn't working at all. Also if it is physical defect, it is highly unlikely that it can be corrected, and no amount of food supplement will solve this.

[cock o the north]

ill give her another try but i might just have to float some other eggs under her. except for protecting the egg why is the shell so impotant?