4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[LJ's Chooks]

Darling Maisy is still only laying softies with the old wierd looking egg once a month. She can lay up to 2 or 3 softies a day and has been with us since the start of march when she was 20 weeks.

 

She has a large pen that she is in most of the day with her pals, and has pellets with a little corn or sweetcorn to get them in to the cube run in the evening.

 

I've tried limestone flour, oyster shell, grit, but no improvement. Any suggestions???

[Phosphorus]

When did she start to lay? I have a white star, Alice, who has been laying for ages but has been up and down with softies for a while. It could just be that her egg laying tackle is getting used to it all and it will sort itself out.

 

Other thoughts:

 

- has she got worms by any chance as this can mess up the eggs;

- has she ever had something like infectious bronchitis - that can affect the ovaries so that eggs are never the same again;

- it could be that she was born with a problem if she has never laid any normal shells.

 

I'm sure others can add more.

[LJ's Chooks]

She's been laying softies for around 4 months on and off, the occaisional wrinkly hard shell, and days without anything at all and then several softies come along. The others love it cos it normally lands in the poo tray and they get to it before i do, but it is just very wierd.

 

Do vitamins in water help... i've tried oyster shell, grit and limestone flour to no avail. is there something else i could try???

[Egluntyne]

She might need some vitamin D.

 

You could try giving Zolcal D...a calcium supplement with Vit D, or you could try giving her codliver oil mixed with her pellets.

[Phosphorus]

Hmmn Alice has been laying for about 2 and a bit months now and now seems to have sorted herself out on her own - 4 eggs in the last 4 days. 4 months of softies does seem quite a long time.

 

Have you tried Shell Max - that might help - I think that has lots of things in it to sort out shells. Not really sure what else to suggest

[Steph101]

Davinova C from www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk

[Steph101]

....P.S. I don't work for them, honest! Just realised I've recommended a couple of things from them today!

[LJ's Chooks]

Davinova C from www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk

 

Steph101 do they call it something else... nothing on their website called that??

thanks

[Kathy C]

If its any consolation Chandon has been laying soft shell eggs too, its been going on for 3 months.

 

She laid absolutely huge eggs for a month before this started, prior to that she had been laying normally. I have tried everything too, but no change.

 

She is bright and active, even cheeky, so I don't think she can be feeling ill. I have now decided that she has retired early from egg laying and any "proper" ones will be a bonus. Our hens are pets mainly, the eggs have always been just a welcome extra.