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[Tiggy]

I'm getting confused, one of my new girls has laid 2 softies at the weekend, they free range an hour or so most evenings when I get home from work and lots more at weekends, I have put a dish of grit & 1 of oyster shell in the run, but they dont bother with the grit at all and devour the oyster shell, I've heard that I shouldnt be giving them oystershell, now I'm really confused. Are the softies due to the hen being young or is she not getting enough calcium/grit?

[Mutrix Farmers]

Grit is to help them digest their food as thye have no teeth.

 

Oystershell is supposed to help them develop good egg shells. Quite a few people on here recommend limestone flour (available at all equine feed suppliers). I use crushed baked egg shells mixed in with their pellet porridge.

 

The advice about oyster shell could be because it's not soluble calcium carbonate, which limestine flour is, so it doesn't get absorbed by the chook.

 

Mixing the grit with their pellets also means they can't really ignore it.

 

Softees can be because their egg-laying gear (I have borrowed that phrase - from Egluntine I think) isn't quite mature if they are still quite young. We had a softee at the weekend that we can't explain, they all eat the same diet and have all been laying beautifully for 3 weeks. Treating it as a one off hiccup at present, but will investigate limestone flour.

 

Thanks to everyone on the forum from whom I have gleaned this knowledge

[Tiggy]

thanks, I'll investigate limestone flour, I have some egg shells in the bottom of the oven & will crush them up tonight,

[TAJ]

I but oyster shell as well as mixed grit as they always ate more shell than grit - I just add more oyster shell to the mixed grit, so the balance is as they like it.

 

Tracy

[Hen Watch]

Grit and oyster shell you are giving is good. New girls may lay softies at first and it may just be a matter of waiting until they get into the swing of laying.

 

At first mine didn't seem to eat their grit, but now 1 year later they devour it even though they free range as well. Some days I'm putting in a handful of grit every day. I have to say mine don't' like oyster shell but I think I bought some that was a bit too big, so might just smash it up a bit with a hammer so it's not wasted.