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

[staceychristie]

Hi everyone. Poppy is been a bit strange. She's taken to laying soft eggs, which look like balloons when you've just started to blow up. She appears to now be the underhen. Her backside and chest are still red raw but no blood or scabs, and has no feathers, but just a few spots of cotton wool. She tries to sleep in the nest box,and this is where I found her latest egg. She hasn't eaten it though. and I'm regularly have to turf her out of the nest box.

We have been feeding Battery hen layers pellets. We had added some greens and a bit of corn by hand in the evening. Her poos don't look too bad.

 

Thanks

 

Stacey

[Egluntyne]

Why not try her on ordinary pellets and see if it makes a difference. One or two people have noticed that their hens start laying soft eggs when changed onto the pellets you mention.

 

I'd limit her free ranging and treats for a day or two also.

 

 

A calcium supplement such as ZolcalD, ir the addition of Limestone Flour and Cod Liver Oil to her pellets might alos help.

 

Has she got access to Mixed Poultry Grit?

[staceychristie]

They've all been on the ex-batt feed since we had them. They were fine, but I guess it must be diet driven.

They've got a box of mixed grit, and I'm also mixing it in with the feed (which all gets eaten, and no bits left behind. Thought it might have been poultry spice, so just given plain water in both drinkers now (one had plain, one with additive)

Also used to give a bit of corn and a lettuce for early evening.

Poppy laid an egg both in the morning at 7am, then I checked to boot her out the nest box as she always tries to sleep in there at night at about 11pm, and she was sitting on another of her eggs which had split open, not pecked. I know it's hers as all the other girls are laying concrete ones!

I was a bit grumpy having to mop up mess at 11pm in pouring rain.

 

Oh and she now has a violet bum, took action to spray her with gentian violet as I think the birds were pecking at her - I'm not her best pal anymore.......

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

Stacey