KTee Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) I suppose I am really looking for re-assurance here having read most if not all of the stickies and posts about soft shells etc Our girls are around 12months old having arrived as POL in late May 2007. They have a 30ft run attached to the Eglu. Apart from a couple of soft shells early on they have been fantastic layers not missing a day for months until Bonfire Night but in 2 days they were back firing on all cylinders, until last week when our Snow White produced a soft shell. For 2 days she was back to normal but now she has produced 2 soft shells and this morning an egg without a shell. All these are laid in the litter tray and not the nesting box. She is a small bird but lays the largest egg which are often pointy and have ridges and lumps as if they have been welded together! We were warned by the breeder that she would be nevous, flighty and not easy to handle which has proved to be the case although she became a little tamer over the months. I notice that over the last week she has become very nervous again but looks healthy and eats normally. Every day the girls get layers pellets and meal plus a bowl of mash consisting of a variety of veg, melon seeds, grapes etc in which is mixed Poultry Spice, soluble and insoluble grit and from time to time crushed eggshells. The have Verm-X in the water every few weeks. The Eglu is cleaned thoroughly every week and sprayed with Jeyes Fluid, the litter tray paper replaced every 2 days and the shredded paper in the nesting box daily and re-dusted with diatom. I use Ardap spray on the Eglu after each clean. The only thing I can think of which might have triggered this is that I may have been too generous with the split corn over the previous week and wonder if this is responsible or is the problem just "one of those things" as suggested in some posts? The other 3 are 'performing' as normal. Phew this is much longer than I intended! Any comments appreciated. Edited February 29, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Sounds like she needs some extra calcium. Get her some Limestone Flour and stir about a desertspoonful into a grub full of pellets. Works wonders. Available form Equestrian shops or Ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Sounds like she needs some extra calcium. Get her some Limestone Flour and stir about a desertspoonful into a grub full of pellets. Works wonders. Available form Equestrian shops or Ebay. Thanks. I have some on order although I think that is already in the soluble/insoluble grit that we give them. No harm in upping the 'dose' though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Depends which sort of grit it is. Mixed poultry grit has bits of oyster shell in it, but it is often not enough. My vet advised Limestone flour as it is super easily absorbed.....and comparatively cheap. She said it is easy to get calcium into the hen, but not always easy to get it from the hen into the bloodstream, and this works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Depends which sort of grit it is. Mixed poultry grit has bits of oyster shell in it, but it is often not enough. My vet advised Limestone flour as it is super easily absorbed.....and comparatively cheap. She said it is easy to get calcium into the hen, but not always easy to get it from the hen into the bloodstream, and this works very well. Hopefully it will arrive Monday or Tuesday. Another soft shell today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 you can also crush up used egg shells - I bake mine for a few mins on a low heat to make them more brittle then use a pestle and mortar and put about a dessertspoonful into the treats - my Ruby las slwo to start laying then laid 2 softies and since I started upping her calcium like this she has been laying beauties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 you can also crush up used egg shells - I bake mine for a few mins on a low heat to make them more brittle then use a pestle and mortar and put about a dessertspoonful into the treats - my Ruby las slwo to start laying then laid 2 softies and since I started upping her calcium like this she has been laying beauties Thanks alih They have had crushed eggshell almost from day 1 together with extra grit. I can't think what else to try other than the limestone flour which I hope will arrive tomorrow. I stopped their treats last week. Blossom has laid several more soft shells but yesterday's was looking more hopeful although it was still soft. She did not lay today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I am sure it will sort itself out but I know how frustrating it is - my chickens were with me for 11 or 12 weeks before they even looked like they were going to lay then Ruby took ages to get going properly but it is worth the wait if you can stand it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 Result! This morning Blossom produced a perfect large egg, even before the limestone flour has arrived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Hooray! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 great news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimW Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Is it the Limestone Flour on Ebay that is advertised for tortoises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimW Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I bought a 3kg tub for horses from my work!!!!!!!!!!!! HAve enough for a while then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 I suppose that it had to happen. We were away at the weekend but on return we learned that Blossom had laid another soft shell despite the grit, limestone powder etc, etc. I suppose we just resign ourselve to the fact we have a hen which does this from time to time. She appears happy, healthy and scatty as ever which is what matters. Apart from that she has laid every day - twice one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Hi all, Daphne is going through a phase of shell-less eggs too. She laid daily from arriving until that first really cold spell of weather, then decided to take a winter break. She has just started to lay again but is forgetting to add a shell, so every other morning I find a nestbox full of wet eggy straw. I've been removing the straw, cleaning etc. and they have mineral supplements, limestone flour in their Grub and lots of grit... so I'm hoping she will sort this out by herself. Her friend Marjorie is laying lovely eggs each day with perfect thick shells, so I don't think they are short of calcium! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 (edited) Maybe you could try something like **Zolcal D** It is a liquid calcium supplement, with added vitamin D. Edited March 21, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTee Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 Maybe you could try something like **Zolcal D** It is a liquid calcium supplement, with added vitamin D. Thanks I will bear it in mind. Blossom laid a normal egg today, just to confuse! I am beginning to think that our 4 have the equivalent of a bathroom cabinet full of potions!!! A friend of mine has 7 free range hens which wander about the village green and follow her ducks around. She tells me that she has never had any shell-less eggs. I tell her that she just doesn't find them! It makes me feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 I tell her that she just doesn't find them! It makes me feel better. You could be right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Will keep Zolcal D in mind, thanks Egluntine. However I'm hoping I won't need it - this morning :dance: :dance: :dance: two !egg!s, both with shells!!!! First day for ages when both ladies have graced us with an egg. I've thanked them profusely and hope this means their holidays are over. I've also chosen to overlook their 'Great Escape' from the netting that was keeping them at the bottom of the garden. I thought I had blocked up all available exits. I had. Daphne solved the problem with a flying leap and a lot of flapping. Wing clipping time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...