goodlife Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Hi everybody,i,m new to all this we have 2 beautiful girls called mapp & lucia we are getting eggs everyday now ,they are very happy and very vocal, we feeding them the layers mash that came with them and some corn at teatime but we have noticed the shells are quite thin is this normal or do we need to be doing somthing else as well, also lucia seems to think that the water container is a perch and toilet any ideas ? goodlife! PPxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Not sure about the water thingy. But do you put grit or oystershell in there diet? Not sure where about you are, but they sell Oyster Shell or Mixed Grit which is basically for the same thing, at your locall Pet store. I buy mine at Pets At Home. Its more expensive from there. Oyster Shell and Grit helps the birds to digest the food. They eat the Shell/Grit because they dont have teeth it works like teeth and grinds the food up in the crop. It also provides calcium for strong egg shells. Welcome to the forum You can PM me if you need any further help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roobaloo Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 How long have they been laying for? One of my girls laid 3 soft shelled eggs over her first week and a half of laying. I believe it's just their systems adjusting to egg laying! As already suggested, offer some mixed grit or if you're using normal grit (without the oyster shell) then you can bake and crush up/powder old egg shells and add to feed...or use Limestone flour...all add calcium to the diet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridgy chooks Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 I add this to my girls' food a few times a week - poultry calciboost 250g: http://www.birdcareco.com/acatalog/The_Birdcare_Company_Poultry_112.html. I mix it with porridge. I also make sure they have grit and oyster shell available. You can scatter this in the run for them to scratch around and find. Mine have a bowl of it but don't seem that bothered, they will peck it off the ground though! Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodlife Posted June 23, 2010 Author Share Posted June 23, 2010 Thanks mollie i,ll pick some up/ great to get a reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Layers pellets should contain enough calcium, at worst you should need grit with shell in. The trouble with adding extra calcium beyond that is that if it doesnt work you are forced to try more and more of them and more and more drastic medications, that sort of thing isnt good for any chook Often the problem is the fact that the chicken is not absorbing the calcium in their food, a splash of cod liver oil mixed with the pellets will aid calcium absorbsion Try the cod liver oil for a while before you start to worry, hens newly in lay also dont lay very good quality eggs for a little while as already mentioned Regarding the water container - what sort of water container is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodlife Posted June 23, 2010 Author Share Posted June 23, 2010 Hi Redwing,thanks for repling its a eglo go water glug contanier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Try to rig up a rigid flap above it, angled down like a roof but a few inches above the Glug so that they can get their heads in still - think awning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Information on covering glugs viewtopic.php?f=5&t=65525 x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinaduffyjames Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Hi, I have had my 3 girls for 5 weeks now and at first 2 were laying but Nellie was doing softies. I was very concerned and then she stopped laying altogether. However, today for the first time I had 3 eggs waiting for me in the nest box so I think she was just a bit later than the others getting going. I add a handful of the Omlet grit to each 'grub' of feed and they are on Omlet Layers Pellets. Thoug I have just ordered some mash from Wiggly Wigglers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 One of mine laid a few good eggs, then stopped laying/laid softies for about 10 days. Now she is laying nice eggs most days. I also have a Go and if I put the glug too low down the hens step on it. Could you try positioning it higher up? I have mine at the same level as the grub - head height (ish) and that seems to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
