FlyingRamses Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Hi One of our hens who has not layed as yet has been looking very unhappy and inactive today. She has been standing very still for much of the day. She went into the Eglu and we have just looked in to find three eggs with no shell at all!! We have brought her in and isolated her as there is now a very soft egg shall hanging out of the vent. We pulled it gently but is seems to be stuck so we have left it for now. Does anyone have any advice on this, have you heard of eggs and no shell at all and should we do the old latex glove and vaseline trick to remove the soft shell. She keeps trying to pass it but it is just hanging out. She is looking happier but we do not want to put her with the others as they may want to peck her bum!!! Any helpful comments this evening much appreciated. Thanks FR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 it is common for hens new to laying to lay soft shelled eggs, funny shaped eggs etc, This one sounds like a softie - the hen will appear unwell prior to laying it and afterwards but should be back to normal by morning. I would clean off what you can with a damp cloth/tissue - the remainder she will try to pass, it should all come out eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingRamses Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Hi Chelsea Thanks for that. Daisy is looking a lot better now, my wife managed to gently remove the soft shell as she perked up really quickly. She had a 30 min free range with the other hens and they all went to bed happily! Thanks again. FR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Sounds like she is just new to laying and has passed a softie. She may just settle down into laying soon. Have you looked at this yet? http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4720 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Glad to hear she's managed to get the softie out! Hopefully she'll perk up and start laying proper little eggs now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingRamses Posted July 15, 2008 Author Share Posted July 15, 2008 Thanks for the link Hen Watch. Daisy much happier now and we think she layed a small egg today although Poppy was sitting on it along with her own usual huge egg!!! Some good advice on treats there as well, one to watch as we do give them grapes and corn after 5pm and they free range in the garden for a couple of hours. We are getting so much pleasure out of them, I had no idea how much they would change our lives!!! After a day in the City of London dealing with the completely anal issues and people, a couple of hours with my hens brings me right back down to earth with an enjoyable bump!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilles Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Given (albeit limited experience) I would suggest watching their diet: more or enough grit, less treats and try to keep them on pellets and mash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
