Peacocks

[MaggieMcHen]

My friend and I both have hens bought 2.5 half years ago that Are fine except that they are laying soft eggs - very little or no shell. They are eating the same food as the other hens of course and they are fine so diet really can't be an issue. There are no nasties like lice or mites etc. Has anyone else had this problem with this sort of age of hen - is it inevitable. or are we both just unlucky? Both hens are perfectly hail and hearty apart from the duff egg situation. It makes such a mess in the nesting box though.

Thanks

[chickencam]

Were they very prolific layers before, and did they have a rest and a moult in the autumn? Our White Star would occasionally lay soft eggs and by this spring her egg shells were very thin. She had worn herself out. We gave extra grit and this helped a bit but I think it was an age thing with her.

 

The shells on the eggs of the other girls are also thinner than they used to be and they are a similar age to yours. The whites also become more runny and harder to poach as the hens get older.

[Egluntyne]

If they are hybrids, their shell glands will be getting exhausted.

 

All you can do is try them with some ZolcalD in their drinking water, or some limestone flour and co d liver oil in their pellets for a week or so and see if it helps. 2.5 years is good going for a hybrids laying career.

[MaggieMcHen]

Thank you Chickencam and Egluntine I am loath to add things to the water as the younger hens use it too and I read somewhere that if you give the healthy ones too much limestone/Davinova C etc they can stop absorbing it for themselves and then develope the same problem but for a different reason. I will just stick with heras she is and hope she will go broody instead - I want to set her on some eggs or day old hatchlings.

[Budgies]

That's interesting MaggieMcHen. I also know that overdosing the healthy girls on calcium can cause kidney problems and intestinal issues too, so you're right to be wary of giving it to all of them.

 

Depends on what kind of hybrid she is really. Most of them have the broody gene bred out of them intentionally - the farmers don't want to pay for hens to brood, but to lay eggs unfortunately.

 

I would be inclined to give her a little limestone powder or ground up cuttle fish bone on treats (like grapes) just to help boost her levels, regardless.

[MaggieMcHen]

Good idea Budgies as long as i can keep it away from the other greedy monkies.

[Plum]

If I want to treat one I put 1.5ml zolcal (worked out for her weight) on a small piece of bread then it is easy to treat her.

[MaggieMcHen]

I put 1.5ml zolcal (worked out for her weight)

 

And zolcal is? and I get it where?

[Budgies]

MaggieMcHen, Zolcal-d is a water soluble liquid calcium supplement for reptiles and other animals.

 

Lots of online sites sell it as well as pet shops.

[MaggieMcHen]

Amber seems to be laying proper eggs again. Although the shells are very rough and a bit thin they are at least hard. Don't know how long this will last, but well done Amber

[Budgies]

Great news that she's laid a proper egg Maggie. I'd still be tempted to supplement her calcium for a week or so if you haven't yet, based on the fact that a laying hen depletes the calcium in the bones in her body to form the shells.

 

If you give her a bit of a boost you can ward off the chance of bones that are very brittle (the chickeny equivalent of osteoporosis).

[MaggieMcHen]

Thanks will do