How to Solve the Problem of Thin-shell Egg?

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The main reasons for thin-shell eggs in laying hens are as follows:

 Feed factor

Improper proportion of calcium and phosphorus will have an adverse effect on health, growth, egg production and eggshell quality of laying hens.

Generally, the proportion of calcium and phosphorus in the diet should be 6-8:1. If the ratio between is improper, it will result in the production of thin or soft shell eggs.

Since the calcification of the eggshell mainly occurs in the evening of the previous day before laying, it is appropriate to extend the feeding time in the evening. Therefore, feeding hens with shell fragments or bone meal every evening can improve eggshell quality.

1). Calcium deficiency

Laying hens need a lot of calcium to form eggshells, so calcium deficiency in the diet will produce thin or soft eggs. A laying hen eats 50 to 70 grams of feed per day, and the utilization rate of calcium in the feed is only 60%, therefore the calcium in the feed is not enough. As a result, 3%~4% shell powders are recommended to be added to the layer compound feed to supplement the deficiency.

2). Phosphorus deficiency

Phosphorus plays an important role in the formation of chicken bones, eggshells and somatic cells as well as the use of carbohydrates, fats and calcium. In particular, laying hens need more phosphorus because the egg yolk contains more phosphorus.

The phosphorus requested in chicken diet is 0.6% but the effective phosphorus only is 0.5%. Therefore, 1%~2% of bone meal or calcium phosphate must be added to the feed to supplement calcium and phosphorus deficiency.

3). Vitamin D deficiency

Even if there is sufficient calcium and phosphorus in the diet, calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism will be hindered, resulting in small, deformed, thin and soft eggs as well as decreased egg production and hatchability.

Therefore, the most economical and effective way to obtain vitamin D is to let the chicken get more sunshine so that the 7-deoxycholesterol contained in the skin and feathers can be converted into vitamin D3 and absorbed after being irradiated by ultraviolet rays.

Vitamin D3 is generally added to the diet during production. Cod liver oil is used as a vitamin D supplement in diets and as a treatment to vitamin D deficiency drug. The addition of bile acid can promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamin D.

4). Improper use of additives

Reasonable use of additives can improve egg production rate and eggshell quality. However, the ingredients in the various feed additives are very different at present, so it is necessary to select suitable additives according to the situation of the flock and control the reasonable dosage.

5). Feed mycotoxins

The feed is mildewed due to improper storage. After feeding, the liver and kidneys of the chicken are attacked by aflatoxin, thereby the metabolism of vitamin D in the body will be destroyed, resulting in weight loss of the chicken, reduced feed conversion, poor disease resistance, reduced egg production and soft eggshell. Therefore, the feed must be properly stored to prevent moisture and mycotoxins. The toxin remover is combined with bile acids to detoxify the body.

Management factors

1. Chicken house temperature

Too high or too low temperature will affect the quality of the eggshell. When the temperature is higher than 32°C, it is difficult for the chicken to dissipate heat, the appetite is reduced, and the feed intake is reduced; long-term high temperature will destroy the nutrition balance of the chicken body, cause metabolic changes, and reduce the thyroid function of the chicken, resulting in thin or soft shell eggs due to insufficient calcium in the chicken body and low production.

When the temperature is below -12°C, the feed intake will decrease and the eggshell will become thinner. Therefore, it should be ventilated and cooled in summer, and kept warm in winter to keep the temperature in the chicken house between 15 ℃ and 25 ℃. Meanwhile, it is necessary to adjust the concentrations of energy, protein, and minerals in the diet of laying hens according to the season to increase egg production rate and improve eggshell quality.

Adding 0.5% to 1.5% sodium bicarbonate to the feed can increase the strength of the eggshell and greatly reduce the thin and soft eggs. Adding 0.5% to 1.0% chili powder to the winter diet can increase the heat of the chicken, improve the cold resistance, and increase heating.

2. Poor ventilation in chicken house

Respiratory ammonia poisoning caused by high ammonia concentration can cause the chicken to lose more carbon dioxide, resulting in insufficient calcium carbonate ions forming calcium carbonate, affecting the absorption of calcium and further resulting in the production of thin shell eggs. Therefore, the house should be ventilated. Clean up feces in time to prevent excessive ammonia concentration.

Solutions to the production of thin shell eggs

1. Add 0.5 to 1.0 grams of calcium to the diet and observe the change in eggshell thickness. If the thickness of the shell increases, it means calcium deficiency; if the eggshell is deformed, it means that vitamin D3 is lacking and should be added.

2. At night, supplement calcium granules with a diameter of about 2 to 3 mm. Granularity can cause the chicken's appetite, and can increase the blood calcium concentration in the body after eating.

3. Calculate the diet formula and check whether the effective phosphorus content is normal. Generally, the effective phosphorus content in the early egg laying period should account for 0.4% to 0.5% of the diet; in the later period, due to the drop in egg production rate, its content should account for about 0.3% to 0.35%.

4. In summer, the chicken house should be ventilated and the feces should be cleaned in time to prevent poisoning caused by high ammonia concentration.

5. Cooling measures should be taken in the chicken house in hot seasons. The temperature in the house should be kept between 18～23℃. In addition, increasing energy and protein levels and mineral content in the feed can maintain the normal nutritional needs even if the feed intake decreases.