Helping a hen who has laid a soft shell egg

In some cases, the shell might break inside the hen just before laying; this can result in shell fragments being retained and / or a partially laid membrane hanging out of the vent. If you feel confident, make sure your hen is relaxed then very gently tease the fragments out.

As you very gently pull a millimetre at a time, your hen will realise you are trying to help and pulse her vent muscles to help excrete the fragments. If there is resistance when you pull, or any blood is seen, stop immediately and contact our Hen Helpline on 01884 860084. On successful removal, your hen should bounce back and feel better almost immediately.

How to combat soft shell eggs in hens

Our hard-working hens often go through a moult or partial moult in autumn to get their feathering in tip-top shape for winter. To grow these new feathers, they need to divert calcium away from egg production and, as a result, shell quality suffers. Each egg requires roughly four grams of calcium to produce, and hens will only have a reserve of 40 grams in their skeleton.

To help your hens through this period avoid giving them too many treats and stick to high calcium and good quality layer feed. We recommend Allen & Page Free Range Layers Crumble. You may also want to use liquid calcium supplements like Zolcal D, which is easily administered in drinking water and quickly absorbed by your hens.