Solitary chicken - need advice

[Cinnamon]

Bramble,my beautiful year old French Maran has been laying shell less or soft shelled or at the very best,thin shelled eggs for about 2 months now.

She still lays every day,but none of them are useable,& I am having to clear up eggy Aubiose every day

 

Apart from this,& a slight balding underneath,she is a very healthy hen in every way.

 

She has been Ivomeced & Flubenvetted,is not broody,& I dont think a moult is the problem.

 

I have been adding Limestone flour to their feed for a long time now,& have also given some Shellstim I have left over too.

 

Any ideas?

[AnnieP]

Good grief Sarah, couldn't you sleep? I thought I was early!

Don't really know what to suggest. I presume she gets her fair share of layers' pellets and isn't a fussy madam who only eats the treats? I guess the obvious thing to say would be to cut out all treats, but I am sure you have already covered this.

Sarah, am I right in thinking Bramble is the one with the comb with black bits developing on as well? Maybe a trip to the vets would be in order if so, she sounds like she is under the weather generally?

[Egluntyne]

How about a bit of extra vitamin D....it helps metabolise the calcium.

 

I add a tiny bit of cod liver oil to the pellets once a week. They don't seem to mind and the eggs don't taste fishy.

 

I have one persistent thin shell layer, no matter what I do.

 

I think maybe some of them are just that way inclined.

[Cinnamon]

You are right - I couldn't sleep

I woke up thinking I had left the candles lit in the living room,came down to check & got waylaid by the computer!

 

Bramble was indeed the lady with black splotches,so I may take her to the vet once the bank Holiday weekend is over.

She eats well,& as I said,looks & acts like a very normal healthy hen,apart from some underbelly baldness.

 

Egluntine,she used to lay wonderfully well - a perfect large hard egg in deep speckled brown every day,but just stopped!

I have also tried the oil,which didn't help her out.

[Lydia]

Hatpin, one of my ex-bats is exactly the same. She arrived just over a year ago and has laid maybe 2-3 usable eggs in that time - all the others are thin shelled or no shell at all.

 

She been given a completely clean bill of health by the vet, eats normally and skips about with the others. We used to worry about it but now just accept that's the way she is and clean up after her regularly. Mostly now she doesn't bother "laying" in the nests at all and just squats wherever she happens to be.

[Chicken Licken]

Fenny is just the same. Most days she manages an egg but the shell is broken and I end up scooping bits out of the nesting box and washing her bum feathers. She has been wormed and has no lice or mites and is perfectly happy in herself.

I did read an article on 'egg drop syndrome' on here and it sounds just like that. Here is an article (although with annoying music http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page15.htm. Fenny's eggs have the thinning of shell at the pole and have changed colour. My 2 younger hens are laying perfectly and have good strong eggs. They may have been immunised against it ( I hope).

[Cinnamon]

That is very interesting Abi - I suspect that it what Bramble is affected by.

The link to ducks & geese is interesting - she was kept in an environment with lots of those around

 

Ah well,if there is no cure I shall have to keep her for her beauty rather than her eggs

[debbie26pet]

im reading this and its like one of my rir, she gives odd time a egg mostly double yolks, but most time is a soft one, i have tried all sorts and im lost now to

[Christian]

Sarah, I got my 3 from the same place as you and luckily, haven't had a problem *touches wood*. However all 3 are gradually moulting at the moment. They have been for about 4 weeks. Just the odd feather here and there. Mine are the same age as yours aren't they?

[Cinnamon]

They are,& I would have said Bramble was moulting,but its been weeks & weeks now.

I reckon it must be 8 weeks - can they moult for that long?

Hope it is a moult,& she is very baldy underneath & under her wing pits.

At least I will get the lovely speckly eggs again if it is

[bellekatz]

They are,& I would have said Bramble was moulting,but its been weeks & weeks now.

I reckon it must be 8 weeks - can they moult for that long?

Hope it is a moult,& she is very baldy underneath & under her wing pits.

At least I will get the lovely speckly eggs again if it is

 

I have had two with very long slow moults this summer - one is getting worse, the other who is also laying lots of softies is just beginning to feather up again now. I know its not lice or mites because they have been treated with invermectin. So I just put it down to a moult.

[Cinnamon]

Bramble was very down this morning,so I popped her to the vets (haven't been able to get there before now)

 

Sadly she was put to sleep, as the vet said she was in heart failure, which explains the blackening comb. Its for the best - I would not want her to suffer at all

The baldness & egg problem may have just been a slow moult,but she had an underlying heart problem too, which caused her to be so unwell.

[chelsea]

oh Sarah, so sorry to hear about Bramble. Good job you took her to the vet though, you did the right thing.

[Gamebird]

So sorry to hear about Bramble.

 

It's a painful decision but the right thing to do.

[AMO]

That's sad news Sarah. ((hugs))

[lisa33]

So Sorry to hear about Bramble.

[Egluntyne]

Poor Bramble. I am ever so sorry Cinnamon.

[AnnieP]

Aw, what a shame. Thinking of you Sarah. Take care.

[Guest]

sorry to hear about Bramble Cinnamon.

[Joojoo]

So sorry to hear your sad news. You've done the right thing and ensured that she didn't suffer

 

Big Hugs x

[Omletina Kyckling]

Oh I'm really sorry but it was good you could find out what it was and she didn't suffer.

[bellekatz]

Sorry to hear about Bramble

[Chicken Licken]

Sad news Sarah - I am sorry to hear about Bramble.

[The Brown Clan]

Am sorry to hear about Bramble , but you made the right decision she is not suffering anymore

[vegpatch58]

Really sorry to hear about Bramble.

Persephone went the same way a few weeks ago and I cried buckets at the vets, I was really upset and took a lot of convincing that it wasn't something I'd done - but as the vet pointed out the other two hens are fine so it can't be.

Really sorry.