My eco solution to rat problems

[Steph101]

Barbara definitely wasn't herself yesterday, kept sitting quietly with her bottom in the air, and her beak pointing downwards. She was eating and drinking okay, didn't really look ill, just acted a bit differently. Later on, she laid a large egg with a really rough, sandpapery shell (she's done that once before though). She was fine later. This morning , when I emptied the droppings tray, there was a softie in it! No idea who laid it obviously, but the only two hens who haven't laid today so far are Barbara and Betty.

Now Barbara has sat in the nest box for quite a while today, but has laid nothing. She looks fine otherwise, eating and drinking. I wondered if she was egg bound, so decided to bathe her bottom in warm, soapy water. During bathing, I watched her vent closing and opening. When I'd finished with her, she kept walking funny, as if goose stepping like John Cleese in the Fawlty Towers 'don't mention the war' episode. She then started walking backwards! She occasionally makes funny head movements, which I can only describe as 'talk to the hand, 'cos the face 'aint listenin' movements, like you might see a contestant doing on the Jerry Springer show or something like that.

Any ideas?

[Mutrix Farmers]

My Redcos Henrietta has been doing the same thing. She has been laying quite rough eggs for about 2 weeks, must be really uncomfortable to lay, hence the odd posture. Yesterday she laid an egg on the grass at 4.30pm (normal size just really rough) and she has laid again this morning (64g and really smooth!!!)

 

She goes a bit lethargic and looks a bit dejected. She's never walked backwards though, and is her normal lively self after she has laid.

 

I've decided to cut down on the limestone flour as I may have been overdosing them. Henwatch has suggested that the extra calcium is sometimes deposited on the eggshell making it rough.

 

Hope Barbara is OK today

[Steph101]

Strange, isn't it? I wonder if that's the cause. I give limestone flour and grit, along with other supplements such as poultry booster and poultry spice. Maybe it's vitamin overload; although I was concerned I'd been overdoing the treats lately; they do have a lot. All the other hens lay perfect eggs though. Barbara tends to be less consistent in the frequency of her laying, but they all tend to be quite large, and the colour and shell texture varies. I would have thought that if it was diet, it would affect all the hens?