Solitary chicken - need advice

[mrs chook]

Hello

Please excuse the message content, and don't read whilst eating.

 

Sorry but I am desperate for advice, please!

 

 

I have two gingernut ladies. I have had them two years nearly, they have never gone broody as yet. What age do they lay to roughly?

 

One is laying eggs with thinnish shells and i think is a yolk addict. Broken eggs every day and no yolk around, apart from dried on her beak and comb?!!!!!.

 

The other girl is laying eggs, often in her poo and has passed a build up off shell a couple of times.

 

I have tried the mustard trick (for the second time this morning) I wondered whether putting a 'pretend' egg may lead to broodiness.

 

I have added garlic to the water, am feeding them a mix of pellets and mash now to try and get more grit into them, they do freerange.

 

I am worming them too, although these issues have been going on before I wormed them.

[Gallina]

My Pepperpot gave up laying after two years, and after that only had shell-less eggs which the others gobbled up. She faded away around the time of her third birthday.

 

Other people have hybrids which go on laying after three years of age, and you are unlucky if you have two which have stopped early.

 

But I am afraid that their laying does fall off after their second summer, which of course is when commercial egg-producers get rid of hybrids.

 

So I am afraid it is possible that they have stopped, if they are otherwise well.

[mrs chook]

They are still laying at the mo, albeit without shells or soft shells. I think worming had helped because the one (Prissy) who has shelless eggs has expelled worms so I hope she feels better now.

 

Anyway, if they do give up, they can just enjoy a happy retirement I may just have to increase the flock as we had got used to our egg supply coming from up the garden.

 

I actually HAD to buy 1/2 doz free range eggs last week

[mayflower]

As well as chicken grit, I put down quite a fair bit of oyster shell, as it's this that makes the shells go hard. However, every day I have a soft or tender shell egg from Alice...and the trick for me is getting there before the other hens eat it. She is the smallest hen now, even Lucy has grown larger than her. I think as long as they stay healthy and the egg does'nt break inside them(which I dread) and as long as they have access to oyster shell, there is nothing you can do.

[mrs chook]

oh thanks, where could I get that? Would local animal feed places sell oyster shell on its own?

 

I usually work all morning (off sick at mo) so every lunchtime I come home to broken eggs/eaten eggs

[Slats]

Limestone flour too is good for shell strength. Horse type shop for that .

[Snowy]

Limestone flour is definitely worth trying as it gives them a much needed calcium boost and is easily absorbed. Their shell quality definitely deteriorates as they age. My Beryl laid quite a few softies before she passed away. The limestone flour definitely works though - tried to crack one of 3 year old Bertha's eggs the other day - I had to whack it twice to break it!

[Christian]

I agree about the limestone flour. It is more readily absorbed by the chicken.

 

You can get it from horsey shops or on ebay (more expensive that way)

 

I mix a couple of scoops with their layers mash, every time I fill it up.

[mrs chook]

That's brilliant, thanks very much everyone for that. I will try and get some tomorrow. There's an animal feeds place across town where I get stuff, so I'll see if they stock. it or can get it.

 

I do hope this is just a glitch and it's not curtains. I'm quite worried after reading some of the posts. the girlies both look well and healthy otherwise and are as active and nosey as ever.