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[littlehenny]

One of our chooks has been laying soft eggs . Worse still my eldest daughters chook, lily , had been eating the eggs when they have cracked in the nesting box. WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP HER EATING THE EGGS AND WHY IS ONE OF THEM LAYING THEM? (WE USE GRIT IN THEIR FOOD)

 

 

littlehenny

 

 

Lily-

Tulip-

Martha-

[Olly]

You could try adding limestone flour (available from equestrian shops) to their food. However it may be an age thing, or one of them might be moulting ... it is really annoying, I agree.

 

I think once they've got a taste for egg, it's hard to stop them - you can only be very vigilant and remove them as soon as they're laid, but in my case that would mean hanging around the nesting box for several hours!

 

You can put china or rubber eggs or golf balls in so they get the idea that pecking round objects in the nest hurts their beaks! but they're going to spot (and smell) a cracked or soft egg easily.

[Hen Watch]

How old are your hens littlehenny?

 

If they are new to laying or at the other end of the spectrum, due for retirement, they may produce softies. New layers may just settle down after a while and if they have access to grit and good layers feed they might just sort themselves out. They may eat softies or very thin shelled eggs that crack easily.

 

If they are not new, you may want to add a calcium suppliment as Olly suggests. Mine have Limestone Flour from horse supply shops. Various brand names available like NAF, or Baileys etc. This is the stuff:

 

http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/supplements/lime.htm

 

Or to put in their water, Zolcal D or Calcivet.

[Egluntyne]

Grit on its own won;t make a difference, unless it is the mixed poultry sort, with identifiable bits of sea shell in it.

 

Limestone flour or a Zolcal D will sort out any calcium deficiency. If using the LF, a dollop of cod liver oil added to their pellets will help metabolise the calcium.

 

I'd put ceramic eggs in the nest, or eggs which have had the contents replaced with mustard, so that they get an unpleasant taste when eating the eggs.

 

Regular and early collection of the eggs can help prevent egg eating too.

[Plum]

One of our chooks has been laying soft eggs . Worse still my eldest daughters chook, lily , had been eating the eggs when they have cracked in the nesting box. WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP HER EATING THE EGGS AND WHY IS ONE OF THEM LAYING THEM? (WE USE GRIT IN THEIR FOOD)

 

 

 

 

One of mine lays soft eggs, I've been using limestone flour and cod liver oil for several weeks. I only get an occasional soft shell now, probably when I forget.

Only had one eaten so far which was laid in the run, so haven't had any experience of stopping it.

 

Can you use limestone flour and cod liver oil long term? and can you put it in pellets with garlic powder as well or do they neutralise each other?

[Cluckin Belle]

Had the chooks for just over two weeks now - Amy laid first egg last Thursday, but is laying softies every other day now with nothing in between. She displays all the usual signs as discussed on the forums and is fine in between.

 

I know we 'over treated' them for the first few days, but now they are on a strict diet of layers pellets, before being let out mid afternoon and no treats until bed time - a handful of corn.

 

Question is - how long before we should worry?

 

our hen has just laid another softie. thats one hard and three soft ones since the 9th april 09. she looks really sad and not the top hen she normally is although this morning she was strutting her stuff!!