# Thin shelled chicken egss?



## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Guys, my girls are laying great, and I have an abundance of eggs. Like three dozen today. I tried hard boiling a dozen a few days ago...
FAIL. They are so thin shelled. I tried the method someone told of, where you boil them, then cool off with water, then shake the heck outta the pan with a lid on them, the membrane sticks to the shell. It was a total wash, I ended up pissed off, crunched up that whole dozen and gave them back to the chickens.
I do give them shells, I also feed them Purina, the one that says "healthy egg production" or something.
What else can I do? 
Note, we don't wash, just rinse any serious poop off, and keep rotated in fridge.
I don't know if I can get the wife to go the in refridgerated way.
Also, what way "to boil"?
All in the pot, then water onto stove?
I tried boiling water first, then lowering eggs in, that didn't work, some busted and made a mess.
Room temp before boiling?


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Free range chickens always have thicker shells and more orangish yokes. Try getting them outside to eat some natural food (bugs, slugs, etc)


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

What are you feeding them if the shells are thin generally they are missing stuff in the feed like oyster shells. You may try making oyster shells available to them at this point don't mix it in feed put offer it free will to them. Give it a little time to work .
Also make sure you using a good layer feed.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Deebo said:


> Guys, my girls are laying great, and I have an abundance of eggs. Like three dozen today. I tried hard boiling a dozen a few days ago...
> FAIL. They are so thin shelled. I tried the method someone told of, where you boil them, then cool off with water, then shake the heck outta the pan with a lid on them, the membrane sticks to the shell. It was a total wash, I ended up pissed off, crunched up that whole dozen and gave them back to the chickens.
> I do give them shells, I also feed them Purina, the one that says "healthy egg production" or something.
> What else can I do?
> ...


We buy eggs from a friend. We noticed the same thing. Work-wifey explained it to me just yesterday. 
Let them sit in the fridge for about three weeks if you're looking to hard-boil the eggs.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

When I was just a young whipper snapper, my mom would buy bags of oyster shells to feed the chickens, it would make the shells thicker and harder....I don’t know if you can still get them or not.....


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

rstanek said:


> When I was just a young whipper snapper, my mom would buy bags of oyster shells to feed the chickens, it would make the shells thicker and harder....I don't know if you can still get them or not.....


Wow, I bet oyster shells are very nutritious for the little squawkers.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

the only thin shelled eggs I ever got was from rookie chickens just trying to learn how to lay eggs. How old are your chickens?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Denton said:


> We buy eggs from a friend. We noticed the same thing. Work-wifey explained it to me just yesterday.
> Let them sit in the fridge for about three weeks if you're looking to hard-boil the eggs.


Bingo!! 
If you want to have easier to peel hard boiled eggs, let them sit in the fridge for at least two weeks.

Also, the protein percentage of the feed you are giving is very important. 16% is great. You also want it to say Layer Pellets on the bag.
If you are using Purina, try their Layeena With Omega 3. We have used that in the past, but it requires a 60 mile round trip to Tractor Supply, so we just buy local now. Southern States brand,

Crushed oyster shells. 
Buy a 5 or 10 pound plastic bag of scratch feed and scatter some of that for them to peck at.

Do your birds get outside in the grass and dirt every day? Ours only "go up" at night, or if another flock is out.

And, Bigwheel has a point. When the hens get toward the end of their laying, the shells get really thin. You should be able to get 3 or 4 good laying years, IF you DO NOT trick them to lay in the winter by keeping a light on in the coop.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Thanks all for the oyster shell tip, will store it in my memory bank for future.

Here you go Deebs, something I found that may help in preparing the shells...

https://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-Oyster-Shells-for-Chickens


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks guys.
I will look at the bag I have to buy today, but its Purina Layer, and I do remember I looked, it was 16%.
No, they don't get out every much, I am never home during the day, and am scared of the neighbors dog, and that hawk I chased off.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

bigwheel said:


> the only thin shelled eggs I ever got was from rookie chickens just trying to learn how to lay eggs. How old are your chickens?


They are all from last year, three hens from the spring, and four from the fall, the spring girls really started laying good at the end of the fall, and the latest fall girls are dropping almost one a day.
Average six a day from the seven chickens and a duck. I don't know if the duck is boy or girl?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Deebo said:


> They are all from last year, three hens from the spring, and four from the fall, the spring girls really started laying good at the end of the fall, and the latest fall girls are dropping almost one a day.
> Average six a day from the seven chickens and a duck. I don't know if the duck is boy or girl?


Good average on the numbers. One egg per 36 hours per chicken is about the optimum. This will vary according to conditions, such as weather, or if they get stressed by some animal snooping around.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Happy birds lay eggs. The more hours of sun light, right feed all plays in to number and quality of eggs


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I found an hard boiled egg hack a while ago, pierce a hole in the large end, I use a thumb tack. Works for me 99% of the time. I think I saw it on Essential Pepin. I like to watch cooking shows.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Deebo said:


> They are all from last year, three hens from the spring, and four from the fall, the spring girls really started laying good at the end of the fall, and the latest fall girls are dropping almost one a day.
> Average six a day from the seven chickens and a duck. I don't know if the duck is boy or girl?


 Feels your pain on the Duck sexing. Weve had a couple of batches over the years. They are much more fun than chickens. Used to have a big white one we named Fred till he started laying eggs one day and got his name changed to Fredda. The crazy bird would hang out with all the beer drinkers around the pool till the wee hours wating for somebody to dump the June Bugs out of the skimmer. She could eat her own body weight in june bugs and would fight a person over a smoked spare rib. As far as I kinow male ducks have a pecuiliar little curly q looking tail feather and the females dont. Least thats what the guy at the feed store said. He also said for evry male duck you have it takes 7 female ducks to make him happy. If you get one of each the male will copulate the female to death. Those are some horny bastids.
https://animals.mom.me/how-to-tell-a-male-female-duck-apart-12278697.html


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

I also use the Purina layer pellets and allow our birds to run every day. Most of the year the shells and liner membranes are so thick it's hard to get a clean break to keep shell out of the skillet. This changes during the summer and fall to a thinner shell when the birds are hardly eating any feed but instead eating bugs and grass seeds.

We occasionally buy a bag of Dumor crumbles when we have younger birds that may have troubles with the pellets. The shells tend to still be very thick but the membranes are thinner making it easier to get a clean egg break for less shell in the skillet.

Years ago I stored about a years worth of feed as a prep. After about 8 months the birds were eating very little and losing weight. The shells got thin. I'm assuming that chicken feed goes rancid after a while and the birds weren't getting enough calcium.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

We only keep one month's supply of layer pellets on hand. Six 50# bags.
Good point on the layer crumbles for young hens, Down South we call it "layer mash".

We have a rodent proof hay shed where we also store extra bags of feed.
I built a feed/tack room on the end of the stables, we keep one bag each of the various feeds open at any given time - each one in a galvanized steel garbage can to keep rodents out of it.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Nice. Just ordered one of the EGG COOKERS off amazon, that steam them to a soft or hard boil, for about 19$, someone recommended it on another thread.
It also talks of poking a small hole on the round (bottom) part of the egg, and cooking it hole up in this 7 egg cooker.
Also, my damn chickens prefer to eat rabbit food.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Update-
So the eggs that were the "oldest" peeled ok today.
I used the egg cooker from amazon.
Soft boiled three, then used the tray to "fry" two. 
All of the eggs came out great.
very happy.
SIDE NOTE-
If you buy the microwave gizmo, that can cook eggs, BE damn sure to pierce the yolks, and scramble them a little. I had a "clean up on Isle 9" catastrophy. Also, I learned to only microwave for about 30 seconds at a time.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)




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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Anybody have one of the old fashioned poached egg cookers? The ones where you put water underneath the egg holders, that got a pad of butter in the egg holders before you added the eggs.

I liked those better than soft boiled eggs as no dealing with peeling the shells.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Mad Trapper said:


> Anybody have one of the old fashioned poached egg cookers? The ones where you put water underneath the egg holders, that got a pad of butter in the egg holders before you added the eggs.
> 
> I liked those better than soft boiled eggs as no dealing with peeling the shells.
> 
> View attachment 98479


That's basically like the little cups that can go in my electric one. And I had one real soft boiled last night, before i got called back to work. No where near as runny as that picture. MMMM.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Just an FYI for future reference...…..

1. Yes, the older the egg to be boiled, the easier it is to peel. That oughta tell ya something about store bought eggs...they're not as fresh as they say. BUT eggs are good for months before going bad. Even if left at room temperature, they can last quite awhile. The US is about the only place that refridgerates the eggs. In Europe & elsewhere, eggs are kept out. 

2. Chickens do better & are generally more healthy if allowed outside range....even if it's only an hour or two before roost time daily, or 2 or 3 days a week??

3. Do not actually boil the eggs. Bring the water to a boil, add the eggs & turn down the heat to a soft simmer and add a hefty pinch of baking soda. After about 5 minutes, turn off the heat & let them cool naturally.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Mad Trapper said:


> Anybody have one of the old fashioned poached egg cookers? The ones where you put water underneath the egg holders, that got a pad of butter in the egg holders before you added the eggs.
> 
> I liked those better than soft boiled eggs as no dealing with peeling the shells.
> 
> View attachment 98479


I don't have one yet, but is on my to do list.

When we've wanted poached eggs, I just get a pot of water boiling with a bit of vinegar, give it a twirl and crack an egg into the water.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Sure we had them over the years. Its pretty easy to reduce the drama by cooking an egg in a coffee cup in in the microwave. https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/the-easiest-way-to-poach-eggs-is-in-the-microwave


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## allen530 (May 6, 2018)

I saw a video boiling eggs then please in a glass of ice water and shake it real good and shell will come off easy. I tried it and it worked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

JustAnotherNut said:


> I don't have one yet, but is on my to do list.
> 
> When we've wanted poached eggs, I just get a pot of water boiling with a bit of vinegar, give it a twirl and crack an egg into the water.


I do the same thing for poached eggs, plus I add a pinch of salt and a drip or two of olive oil to the water before dropping the egg.


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

I played the lottery after getting this in one clutch of eggs.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Wow..double double yokers.Thats special. Congrats.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Hard boiled eggs are always hard to peel if the eggs used were very fresh. In that case, yes, it's best to let them sit in the refrigerator for a few weeks to age. OR (and I just recently discovered this) if you cook them in an Instant Pot, the eggs peel perfectly every time no matter how fresh they are. I understand the Instant Pot is not an option if there's no electricity available, but a pressure canner or other non-electric pressure cooker would work just as well.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Well all this egg palaver could remind a person of some grand prize winning pickled eggs which were started a month or two ago and left to age in one of the man cave ice boxes. Per according to plany they should be just right for Christmas. They are pretty simple to make using the juice off Kroger brand spicy stacker pickles. Great item if you aint tried. When the pickles are gone I just drag out out the tasty hot peppers..chop em up and add them back to the juce along with a table spoon or two Red pepper and Paprika maybe..i forget right now but they should light a person right on up. If you leave off the red pepper it makes them overly sweet. PS if anybody wants to try this at home..additional liquid can be supplied by white vingegar to fill up the jar.


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