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

[BrunswickBB]

Hello there....I'd really welcome some advice about our girl Dotty. She's laid a couple of soft eggs recently (maybe four in total), and then they seem to have got a bit smaller generally and then she laid one which was pure white which seemed unusual, then today she just didn't seem herself. We got her out and checked her over and there's nothing obvious, but when they went back into their run she laid an egg (in the middle of the run) which had no shell or membrane at all - it was just like someone had cracked an egg in there. I'm a bit worried now as this seems like something is going on - I've read that limestone flour can help replace a lack of calcium?

 

Any help, advice or observations would be great - I'm trying not to worry too much at this stage, but I don't like to think that she's anything but content and happy

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hard to say what's wrong, I'm afraid . I have a similar story with Milly. She's been laying loads of very fragile eggs that get broken by the others. They were all were laying softies until recently but she's carried on and I don't know why - they get the same food/extras .

 

I think as long as she seems healthy and is eating & drinking there's not much else you can do. That's my current approach!

[Budgies]

Disruption with egglaying usually indicates some underlying problem, although it does seem to be the season for soft shelled eggs as their hormones ramp up.

 

Have you wormed them recently? If not I would recommend doing so with Flubenvet which is the best proven wormer for chickens.

 

Red mite is also rife at this time of year and the chooks quickly lose condition as the mites come out at night to feed on them. If you rub a piece of kitchen paper over the roosting bars (esp in the nooks and crannies) and it comes away streaked in red, you have a problem, and need to treat the house and the chickens.

 

In the meantime I'd up her calcium levels - Zolcal-d is probably the best way to give her a quick boost of calcium at this stage - available from pet shops that specialise in reptiles or caged birds, or get it online.

 

Limestone flour mixed into their food with some cod liver oil will do a similar thing.

[BrunswickBB]

Thank you! I think you are right about worming....they have verm-x but I think they need to be on something a bit better so will get Flubenvet first thing tomorrow, and something to up her calcium levels...

 

We've also just given their house a total spring clean and scrubbed, disinfected and powdered everywhere - so hopefully that should be ok....

 

Poor thing - I hope she starts to feel better quickly

[BrunswickBB]

Sorry, another question - can I feed the flubenvet and the limestone flour with cod liver oil at the same time?

[Budgies]

Hi Brunswick, glad you feel you're getting somewhere!

 

I don't see why you can't put all those things in together.

 

However, if it makes life easier for you, perhaps you could mix a little limestone flour and cod liver oil into a pellet porridge (just pellets and water) and have the flubenvet in their regular pellets for now.