When we think of a chicken egg we think of the hard brown or white protective, porous and strong shell that contains and protects a goey inside or a fragile chick. This calcium carbonate container is what keeps the insides from being infected by bacteria, compromised by dirt and allows the growing chick inside to grow at its peak capacity. But what happens when your chicken starts laying eggs without a shell or membrane? This article looks into it 

The reason why a chicken lays eggs without a shell or membrane is that it is lacking in nutrients, namely calcium. To combat this, crush some cleaned shells into a powder and add this to the animals feed. Or alternatively, it could have chickens disease, in this case, take the animal to the vet 

Chicken laying eggs without shell or membrane, why and what to do

A healthy chicken egg should lay a hard but brittle shell. Whenever a chicken lays an egg without a shell or membrane that is a sure sign that it is lacking calcium in its diet. A quick fix to this problem would be to crush recycled eggshells and add this powder to chicken feed.

You may also use commercially available chicken feed with calcium in it to strengthen the chickens’ ability to lay hard-shelled eggs. If a change in diet does not improve the situation, then shell-less eggs could be a sign of chicken disease, which is best handled by a vet.

Ensure that chickens are not frightened at the peak of their production. Chickens produce eggs at night and any disturbances from a predator or any other condition will trigger their “fight or flee” mode, which stops the egg creation process. 

What does a soft eggshell mean?

A soft eggshell could be caused by a lack of calcium in the diet or an unexplained glitch in the egg production process. When the problem is occasional, then there is nothing to worry about as the chicken will return to normal egg-laying after some time. Layers that have been on the job for some years are more likely to be affected by this temporary condition. However, younger birds do lay some soft shell eggs occasionally.

 

Are thin shell eggs safe to eat?

Soft-shelled eggs or thin-shelled eggs are safe to eat as they have no deficiency except the lack of a shell. You should be concerned about eating a thin-shelled egg when the membrane is broken and the egg is contaminated, when the egg contains traces of blood, or if the chicken persistently lays soft-shelled eggs.

When cooking, you may not have the option of boiling the egg due to the risk of damaging it. Steaming the egg may be a better option to get the same effect. The egg can be fried as usual. 

How do you improve eggshell quality?

The preferred method of improving eggshell quality is to increase the content of calcium in the chicken’s diet. As the name suggests, “layers mash” is chicken feed specially prepared to feed egg-laying chickens and has a high amount of calcium. You may also provide kale or fresh grass for your chicken to peck at to increase their calcium content. 

What happens if an egg breaks inside a hen?

It is dangerous for an egg to break inside a hen because the shell particles could rapture the oviduct leading to infections. The chicken’s egg vent should be flushed with clean sterilized water to remove all remaining parts of the eggshell. Better yet, you could have a vet examine the bird for any complications. Ensure this condition is treated quickly because the egg material is capable of giving the bird a fatal disease in a short time. 

If the egg did not have a shell, then it is more likely to be passed out like other bodily fluids passed by the hen.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the reason your chicken is laying eggs without a shell or membrane is that it is not consuming enough calcium. To combat this, crush some clean chicken shells into a powder and add this to the birds feed. You can also purchase commercially produced calcium-enriched chicken feed, if this does not work take your chicken to the vet.

You can still eat eggs with soft shells because the issue is with the shell not the contents of the egg. If your chicken’s egg breaks inside the hen then this can cause injuries in the hen, flush it out with clean sterilized water then take it to the vet 

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