How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[veggiemad]

I'm still new to this having only had my ex batts for little over 2 weeks. Am coping with most things - i think- but today was a bit shocked when i found a yolk in the droppings tray!! I'm guessing this is whats known as a softie - but it litterally had NO shell at all. if it had been laid elsewhere i think it would've been eaten - am i right? do softies have any shells? Should i be worried? i think i know which hen laid it and shes fine.

when do i worry and how often do they lay softies/shellessies! she has laid before, fine, about 2 a week i think.

advice gratefully received!

[quickcluck]

Fear not, they do lay softies!!! Make sure they have enough calcuim, maybe add some limestone flour to their food.

 

I am sure other more experienced peeps will be along soon

[Chiccadees3]

I've had my exbatts 3 months now and poor parsley is prone to laying 2 eggs a day - 12 hours apart as that is what she did in the battery farm.

 

Her second egg was always soft. Like a rubber toy. However one day I saw her actually do an egg with no membrane. She eventually stopped doing them. Last week she did 3 extra softies as well as her normal eggs so comes and goes.

 

I just make sure they have plenty of grit, oystershell, poultry spice in their food. I really do recommend the Smallholder range exbatt crumbs. Ours had them for a month and now I mix it in with normal layers mash. I gives them the extra boost they need.

 

Also dried mealworms to help with their feathers - they love them

 

I love my exbatts and worry so much about them as I just want to give them the best in life.

 

I am sure you will have a lot of fun with them, they are such characters

[Sammy]

I had softies last week from one of my girls and asked for advice on this forum - cod liver oil and limestone flour did the trick and within 42 hours I was back to beautiful eggs again.

[Chiccadees3]

Great choice of names by the way I have Sage, Onion and Parsley

[veggiemad]

thankyou to everyone, i feel like i have lots of chickens friends to turn too - i'm off to find some online limestone flour! thanks again. and thanks from the girls too!

[sjp]

thankyou to everyone, i feel like i have lots of chickens friends to turn too - i'm off to find some online limestone flour! thanks again. and thanks from the girls too!

you'll get limestone flower from a horse feed merchant

dried meal worms help with calcium conversion

[veggiemad]

hi- me again- have just looked up limestone flour and it comes in all size packets from 100g to 5kg!! can anyone tell me how much am i likely to need? how much do they have each day?

also- am i letting them free range too much and hence they are not eating enough of their ex batt crumb?

thanks again

[veggiemad]

i give them a handful of dried meal worms each evening to lure them into the run!

[sjp]

hi- me again- have just looked up limestone flour and it comes in all size packets from 100g to 5kg!! can anyone tell me how much am i likely to need? how much do they have each day?

also- am i letting them free range too much and hence they are not eating enough of their ex batt crumb?

thanks again

I had to buy 3kg its far to much but i don't go off i hope

I think its a teaspoon per bird but I might be wrong