Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Lapinou]

We've read the FAQ, section by Egluntine.

 

The hen has been sluggish and miserable for quite a few days now, after moulting and re-feathering. No eggs since start of moult, but used to sometimes lay two a day, somehow! And she was well all through moulting.

 

We have finally worked out she's egg-bound. DH thinks she has two in there

 

She's having a long warm bath, has had her vent lubricated on the outside, and also oil syringed inside. We're just waiting to see what happens now.

 

DH thinks the egg(s) are moving and things are happening, but we're all a bit tense.

 

Would appreciate some support/advice from anyone else who's experienced this.

 

She's the loveliest hen as well

[chick wiggle]

Aw im sorry your having to go through this lapinou, i havent had to, touch wood, but it sounds to me like your doing everything you possibly can for her.

Keeping everything crossed for her

let us know how you get on?

[Egluntyne]

Have you got a soluble calcium supplement such as ZolcalD to hand?

[Lapinou]

No we haven't, Egluntine

 

I don't think we're going to rescue her The egg seems to be moving, very slowly, but I just think we worked it out too late

 

It's so frustrating - they're well looked after, free range, plenty of grit and good quality layers pellets.

 

Our other hen is laying absolutely massive eggs every few days - is there anything we can do about that before she becomes egg-bound too?

 

Also, it doesn't say on your faq thing about feeding her oil but I read somewhere else that that can help - have you heard that?

[Lapinou]

Also, she keeps falling asleep in the bath - should we be trying to keep her awake so she can actually work at pushing it out (which she does try to do each time she is awake)?

[Chucky Mama]

Bit late to this, how is she doing?

[Plum]

If she hasn't passed the egg in the morning the vet can give an injection of calcium to aid the push.

[Lapinou]

Our egg bound hen didn't make it. After much massaging and care, we realised the egg was just enormous.

 

We are very concerned that our sole remaining chicken risks becoming egg bound herself laying such huge eggs, but is there anything we can do about it? Or anything we should be worried about? Why do they get so large?

 

They are/were both otherwise very healthy in all other things, and had laid daily (sometimes we got three eggs in one day from just the two of them!) good eggs for two years.

 

Thanks for any advice.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Guest

[Plum]

I understand that if you take her off layers pellets and put her on a home made mix of wheat etc the size reduces. If it's double yolk then guess they are going to be large. I thing sandyhas3chucks would be the person to ask. I'll go and ask her to read this thread

[Chucky Mama]

So sorry to hear your news Lapinou I have unlocked your other topic running in Eggs asking for advise re trying to prevent overly large eggs. Please could forum members post there with advise.

[sandyhas3chucks]

I don't know if this will help you or not.

I found with my overlayer that any extra protein and she would produce several in one day, stopping that and watching her diet and we got back to one egg. These were not huge.

Now my disabled girl is a tiddler but has been laying enormous eggs too.

I have almost got her right off layers mash now...

Last winter she went off lay which is really unusual for an ex bat., I thought back and she was eating lots of pin head oats, also they were all having porridge for breakfast.

Soooo more oats.

We had a horrid incident recently and hence feeding mixed corn, groats, and indigo wheat.She is VERY demanding when she wants/need sunflower hearts but if given free access she does stop and chooses to eat other things.(but I choose not to let her gorge.

interestingly she seems to need sunflower hearts just.. just ...before she lays.

She also has a few grapes eats melon and melon seed, cucumber and of course grass. oh yes and a few mealworms.

I am concerned that she may not be getting all she needs for good eggs , but so far we are doing ok and her sizes are down now in the low 70's.

Fingers crossed

Incidentally her eggs and shell quality ARE BETTER than 2 of her same age companions.

oh yes rice and spaghetti and sweetcorn as afternoon treats for all

Not al all scientific but is working for us right now, oh yes someone I met was told to feed her exbats mixed corn and nothing else.

she did but cooked rice spaghetti cous cous etc etc. daily and for a year had no problems at all.

I hope this is of some help

[Lapinou]

So do you suggest oats and corn instead of layers pellets/mash?

 

What do you do if you introduce new hens to a flock? We have been offered two pullets to add to our one layer, and they'll need layers stuff soon...which the one older one will end up eating again, won't she?

[sandyhas3chucks]

there is a very interesting thread on another forum about more natural feeding. you might want to have a look it is on a very "practical" forum don't know if allowed to say name.

I am not going to "suggest" you feed anything as my only qualification is what I am doing and what I have found, I am trying to give her as varied a diet as I can.

feeding only oats or only wheat would cause deficiency's. this has been researched, so happy to say that!

Sorry if that sounds non committal.

It is not hard for me to feed her differently as she is disabled and has special attention anyway

[Lapinou]

Any chance you could PM me a link, Sandy?