Production of soft-shelled eggs is one of the major problems that result in losses among poultry farmers in Uasin Gishu County.
Soft-shelled eggs have a thin layer of shell around the yolk and egg whites. When you touch the egg, it feels leathery and elastic. This occurs due to abortion of one or more processes of egg formation.
Below are three major causes for the production of soft-shelled eggs:
Inadequate calcium in the feeds of the layers
Layers require a lot of calcium to form a strong eggshell. Poultry farmers are required to add more calcium to the chicken’s diet by either adding crushed eggshells or purchasing layers marsh which contains the adequate amount of calcium.
Lack of diversity in feeds given to the layers
It is also referred as the dietary imbalance. Poultry farmers who feed the layers with a single feed fail to meet the nutritional needs of the layers. This contributes to malformations of the egg. Avoid too many kitchen scraps as they interrupt with the feeding program of the layers. Chicken marsh is also recommended for this case.
Environmental stress is another common cause of soft-shelled eggs. When layers are subjected to stress such as bullying and henpecking, the stress will interfere with egg forming process or even the hen might stop laying eggs. Poultry farmers are recommended to remove aggressive chickens from the flock to avoid stressing others.