Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[BocBoc]

One of our girls has laid a softie every day for the last fortnight - all the other eggs are fine with hard shells. All four girls look fine and healthy and eating as usual. I've just wormed them as a precaution - is there anything else we can do?

 

I'm not sure which girl is laying the softies but I suspect it's one of our ex-batts.

 

Thanks, Annie

[chelsea]

It could just be a glitch/phase she is going through. Keep an eye on her as you are doing.

 

We add limestone flour to their food for extra calcium. Do they have good access to grit?

[theherd123]

You can also get a liquid calcium supplement which I have used with success when my ex battery girls lay softies.

 

I purchase it from the Domestic Foul Trust

[Jennyhenny]

Hi,

 

Im having the same problem, just looked at Domestic Fowl Trust and found this

 

Davinova C 250ml

 

Do you think this will sort the softies out

 

Jennyhenny

[teee]

Hi guys.. i`m having the same problem here.. i`v got 4 girls all were laying well even through the winter getting an egg most days, but this past few weeks my miss is laying soffties .. she is eating and drinking well and seems happy. every time i give her some egg shells mixed in some mash the next day there is a perfect egg .. there is also loads of grit/oyster shells around for them.. i have just bought some limestone flour and added to there food which i have mixed in but am unsure how much to use in a grub .. anybody got a rough guide

any help would be fab ...

Thanks

[Chucky Mama]

I would use 1 form of calcuim (&vitamin D) supplement only and ensure that they are getting a decent amount of pellets. Lots of people with free ranging chickens are experiencing problems with softies at the moment. I wonder if it is partially down to them eating a lot of young green shoots etc and less pellets.

[Olly]

Sorry to say that if it's an older chicken, she may just be at the end of her 'laying career' - I have had this with an older hen, fewer eggs, then softies, and then no eggs at all. If the others are laying with nice hard shells, it doesn't suggest that their diet is generally deficient - maybe this particular hen is not metabolising the calcium sufficiently, either because of age or because of something else.

[BocBoc]

Just to update...she was going through the henopause and now no longer lays. Blooming freeloader!!

[Wolfie]

Sounds familiar - we have three ex-batts and one rescue hybrid white leghorn. Three lay lovely hard shells, one ex-batt, Tinker, lays thin fragile shells. They get Garvo layers mash (which I notice is only 3.0% calcium - maybe this should be higher?), cabbage, ground up egg-shells (cooked in the oven for a while), mixed poultry grit with oyster shells - they have eight little pots available - sprinkle of limestone flour in their tuna fish supper which has three drops of cod liver oil drizzled over (Jamie Oliver would be proud). Garnished with a large helping of live mealworms! Even the mealworms have food which "packs them full of calcium". The girls have this individually served in their own plastic cup, to stop greed overcoming their table manners. If Tinker's eggs become soft, she has Zocal-D supplement. I think the poor old hens just become inefficient at converting raw calcium into egg shell, maybe as a breed Warrens aren't bred to last the distance in this regard.

[Egluntyne]

maybe as a breed Warrens aren't bred to last the distance in this regard.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there. They are bred to churn the eggs out for their first year or so, but they don't stay the distance as you describe it, as their shell glands become exhausted.

 

I also find that they have a tendency to develop peritonitis.

[Chucky Mama]

My prolific softie layer went from softies to not laying to peritonitis so keep an eye out for that.

[BocBoc]

They get .........................

 

Cor blimey Wolfie - I reckon your chooks eat better than I do!!!

[Wolfie]

Noshing is a serious business in our house! Last week when I bought the girls' tuna in spring water, the lady on the checkout said "this has gone up in price, still it's good for the kids' sandwiches". I said "oh, I buy it for our hens" - the look on the lady's face ....

[BocBoc]

 

I've never tried our girls with tuna. They have however discovered marmite on toast which they like

[windway]

My softie laying chicken has only been laying for two weeks but now she is laying softies every day. The other two are laying well and they have plenty of access to grit. I really don't know what to do. She seems very well and eats and drinks normally too. Help! Thanks.

[Steve the Gas]

Are you giving shell with the grit?

A little cod liver oil will help with calcium absorption.

Bake and feed back egg shells crushed.