How to Deal With Eggs With Thin Shells

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If you crack open an egg from your flock and it feels soft, bendy, or breaks in your hand, don’t panic. It happens to many chicken keepers.

Eggs with thin shells are more fragile, messy, and sometimes unsafe for your hens because they can break in the nest box.

The good news is that thin eggshells usually have simple causes, and you can fix them with a few easy changes.

In this guide, you’ll learn

Why eggs with thin shells happen
What you can do to help your hens
The best long-term habits to keep egg quality strong

Just like how you would prepare your coop for a snowstorm ahead of time, you also need to prepare your hens’ diet and environment so they can lay the best eggs possible.

Dealing With Eggs With Thin Shells: Why It Happens

Thin eggshells happen when something affects the hen’s ability to create a strong, solid shell.

Chickens need the right nutrients, a calm environment, and good health to make high-quality eggs.

If one of these areas is off, it can show up in the eggs they lay.

Not enough calcium in the diet
Not enough vitamin D
Poor overall nutrition
Stress from predators, noise, or sudden changes
Illness or infections
Heat or cold stress
Old age

When you find the cause, you can prevent it from happening again.

7 Ways to Deal With Eggs With Thin Shells

Make Sure Your Chickens Get Enough Calcium

Calcium is the number one ingredient hens need to make strong eggshells.

If they don’t get enough, the shells come out thin, soft, or cracked.

How to Boost Calcium Intake

Add oyster shell to a separate dish
Offer crushed eggshells (cleaned and baked)
Use a layer feed made for egg-laying hens
Avoid giving too many treats

Calcium helps the shell become stronger, thicker, and healthier.

ALSO READ: Hens Need Calcium! There’s No Ifs, Ands, or Buts About It!

Don’t Forget Vitamin D

Even if your hens eat plenty of calcium, they can’t use it without vitamin D.

Vitamin D helps their bodies absorb calcium from food.

Ways Chickens Get Vitamin D

Sunshine
Vitamin D-enriched layer feed
Supplements (if recommended by a vet)

Sunshine is one of the easiest ways to help. If your hens stay inside too much, thin eggshells can happen more often.

Give Balanced Nutrition

Treats are fun, but too many treats reduce the nutrients your hens need for shell production. Layer feed should always be their main diet.

Good Feeding Habits

Use 90% layer feed
Keep treats to 10%
Offer a constant supply of fresh water
Never rely on scratch grains alone

ALSO READ: 9 Healthy Treats Your Chickens Will Love

Reduce Stress in the Flock

Chickens get stressed easily. Loud noises, predators, overcrowding, or even bullying can affect how well they lay eggs.

Ways to Lower Stress

Give plenty of space
Keep nesting boxes clean
Keep predators away
Keep routines consistent
Provide hiding spots or perches

A calm hen is a productive hen. Less stress means stronger shells.

Check for Illness or Infections

Sometimes thin eggs come from illnesses like:

Respiratory infections
Reproductive problems
Internal parasites

If only one hen lays thin eggs over and over, she may have a health issue.

Signs to Watch For

Lethargy
Poor appetite
Dirty feathers
Drop in egg production
Strange egg shapes

When in doubt, ask a poultry vet for advice.

Protect Hens From Weather Stress

The weather can affect egg quality. Extreme heat or cold makes the hen’s body work harder, which can lead to thin shells.

Weather-Related Tips

Give shade in summer
Add clean bedding in winter
Make sure the wind cannot blow directly on them
Keep water fresh and not frozen

Good weather protection is another way to keep hens healthy.

Improve Nesting Box Comfort

Sometimes hens lay thin eggs because of where they lay. Hard or uncomfortable surfaces can cause shells to crack easily.

Nesting Box Tips

Use soft bedding like straw or pine shavings
Keep boxes clean and dry
Have one box for every 3–4 hens
Make boxes quiet and private

A happy hen lays better eggs with stronger shells.

ALSO READ: Chicken Nesting Boxes 101 and 13 Best DIY Plans

What You Can Do About Eggs With Thin Shells

Age Can Affect Shell Thickness

Older hens naturally lay thinner shells. Their bodies don’t process calcium as well as younger hens.

How to Support Older Hens

Offer extra oyster shells
Reduce stress
Keep coops warm and dry
Provide high-quality feed

Older hens may not return to thick shells, but you can still improve their overall health and egg safety.

Check for Hidden Egg-Eaters

If shells get too thin, some hens might start eating them. This can turn into a bad habit.

To Prevent Egg-Eating

Collect eggs often
Fix thin-shell problems early
Keep nesting boxes dim
Give hens enough protein

Stopping this habit early is important because egg-eating is hard to break later on.

ALSO READ: Hen Eating Their Own Eggs. How Do I Stop Them?

When to Add Supplements

Sometimes hens need more than feed alone. Supplements help fill nutritional gaps.

Helpful Supplements

Oyster shell
Crushed eggshells
Vitamin D powders
Calcium pills (vet-recommended only)

Always follow instructions, because too much calcium can harm hens as well.

Monitor Egg Changes Over Time

If you want to know whether your changes are working, keep an eye on your hens’ eggs.

What to Track

Shell thickness
Shell texture
Overall egg size
Color or odd shapes
Which hens lay which eggs

Small improvements over weeks show your flock is getting healthier.

Create a Long-Term Health Plan

Fixing thin shells isn’t just about one step. It’s a habit you build into your regular chicken care routine.

A good long-term plan includes

Consistent feeding
Proper supplements
Clean, safe housing
Stress-free flock management
Regular coop checks
Weather protection

The more consistent you are, the better your eggs will be.

Dealing Eggs With Thin Shells: Before You Go…

Eggs with thin shells can be frustrating, but they are usually easy to fix.

Most of the time, hens need more calcium, better vitamin D, or less stress.

When you give your flock a balanced diet, comfortable nesting boxes, and a calm environment, their shells naturally get thicker and stronger.

Remember that chicken care works best when you prepare ahead of time.

Planning, checking, and improving little things every day will help your hens stay healthy and lay strong, beautiful eggs all year long.