BocBoc Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennyhenny Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teee Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 Just to update...she was going through the henopause and now no longer lays. Blooming freeloader!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 My prolific softie layer went from softies to not laying to peritonitis so keep an eye out for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 They get ......................... Cor blimey Wolfie - I reckon your chooks eat better than I do!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 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 .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BocBoc Posted October 21, 2010 Author Share Posted October 21, 2010 I've never tried our girls with tuna. They have however discovered marmite on toast which they like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windway Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Gas Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 Are you giving shell with the grit? A little cod liver oil will help with calcium absorption. Bake and feed back egg shells crushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
