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

[redhotchick]

Bella has always been inconsistent as far as egg laying is concerned.

In fact as she is consistently inconsistent, I wasn't worried about her recent lack of eggs.

Then I spotted a couple of softies, but this was interspersed with regular eggs, so again I wasn't unduly worried.

In the last few days I realised that the shell quality for both chickens was actually quite poor.

I still didn't do anything!

This morning when I went out Dolce was lying in the run, very lethargic. After a few minutes she got up and there was a soft egg underneath her.

They ate it before I could remove it (I don't think that it will do them any harm?)

Poor Dolce was hardly even interested in the mixed corn I offered.

I put some flubenvet on tomato. Bella woofed it up! Dolce wouldn't touch it. I opened some sweetcorn and put the flubenvet inside a couple of kernels. That did the trick.

There tails are both down, and their droppings are loose, but they have had a run around this evening and seem a bit perkier.

I've been out and got Lifeguard and limestone flour. I diluted the Lifeguard and used it to soften some cereal and added limestone flour.

I'm off this week so I can keep an eye on them and hope they pick up.

I've cleaned them out and moved their run. I haven't seen any sign of worms.

Is there anything else I can do? I'm less worried this evening as Dolce has definitely perked up.

[sjp]

Put the life guard in the water every day for 6 days some cod liver oil in the feed a couple of times a week the vit. D will help them absorb the calcium it might pay to leave out the treats for a week or two. Dandelion leaves contain calcium 2 or 3 leaves a day for a week might help (mine prefer the young leaves if I hand feed them but will quite happily strip a plant down to its crown) then a few once or twice a week if you don't free ranger them

best to mix the flubenvet as the instructions it designed to be eaten through out the day for 7 days that way they get the right amount for they're size just add a slug off cod liver oil to ta small amount of feed in a bread bag give it a good shake then a wormer shake add more feed on so on bread bag holds 1kg don't use a carrier bag you end up wearing the powder to mix the 2kg i transfer to a small unsented pedal bin bag

[redhotchick]

Thanks SJP, I'll curtail their free ranging to ensure they eat their layers pellets (I'll have to get some Cod Liver Oil). Thanks for explaining why CLO in feed is always mentioned in connection with calcium. I hadn't made the connection! Duh!

I've stopped treats apart from that which I'm putting their Flubenvet in.

Does Lifeguard contain Calcium? The ingredient list says "Vitamin premix" and there is no specific mention of calcium, which is why I also bought limestone flour.

[sandyhas3chucks]

you did the right thing with getting the limestone flour CLO has vit D3... D3 is needed for absorbing the calcium.

[sjp]

heres a link to the lifeguard web site http://www.life-guard.co.uk/

I don't think it contains calcium. it's designed to get the birds into laying condition when they first come into lay and after times of stress and after a moult

as for CLO get it from a horse feed supplier if you can bigger bottle it's also thinner than human grade

[redhotchick]

Bella is in good spirits today. Her tail is up and she is happily pecking around the garden.

Dolce was fine up till about 2 hours ago. she is in the nesting box trying to lay an egg. I took her out through the egg port and she just stood there. She did a poo which was "normal" looking. No worms that I could see in it. She was just standing there her eyes were closing from the bottom eyelid up. Perhaps she was straining to lay a soft egg? I put her back in the run and she walked slowly to the nesting box. I've set a timer to check her every 15 minutes, I'm sitting in the garden anyway.

Should I bring her into the house tonight? or at least shut the Eglu door? What do you think?

 

Edited to add - Dolce has just laid a soft egg. I heard her squawk from in my house (with the door shut) She went to get some water straight away and she seems to have perked up again. She probably been trying to lay that egg for at least 2 hours. Poor Dolce.

[sjp]

sounds like a softy personnally I'd leave her to it but thats just me and soft eggs were to common just after big red started laying so I've got use to the signs of a softy but i'd more than likely check her just after dark just to put my mind at ease takes big red about 1 hour to lay a softy from when she starts showing signs one on it's way then more often than not lays a 2nd with in 10 - 15 mins. 15-20 mins later shakes her self off then trots off as if nothings happened

[sandyhas3chucks]

OMG mine have been known to take ALL day! then sometimes overnight to expell the shell!

(ex bats!)

[redhotchick]

I've never seen my sweet little red hen like this. Poor darling. I feel like I've not been looking after her properly and it's my fault

[sjp]

I've never seen my sweet little red hen like this. Poor darling. I feel like I've not been looking after her properly and it's my fault

it's not your fault

she's been laying eggs for you for 18 months if my maths is right which is longer than she whould have done if she'd gone to a egg factory she's more than likely had a far happier life to

[redhotchick]

Thanks SJP.

It's really dark down the garden. I'll check on her in the morning.

[cluckingmad]

Hi petal,

 

Just wondered how Dolce is today?

[redhotchick]

Thanks for asking CluckingMad.

Dolce seems brighter. She laid a really good egg yesterday, with a lovely smooth shell.

Lately her eggs have been rough shelled. She laid again today, but back to the gritty shell.

Have you noticed how their tails go droopy when they are off colour? Both Bella and Dolce are a little droopy tailed. I think they are ok though.

I've never seen Dolce when she is laying soft shelled eggs.

It was obviously difficult for her. I had no idea.

I thought a soft shelled egg would just slip out.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I had not given a thought to the effort of a softee untill a friend likened it to someone trying to give birth to a baby with no bones! nothing to push against

[cluckingmad]

what a superb analogy! funnily enough, I'd never given a thought to it either