Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Miss Millies Chicken]

Zillah started laying Jan 2010 and laid 326 eggs last year.

 

She hasnt really had a moult apart from a few feathers around the neck. She laid 15 eggs in Jan and 16 in Feb. Since the start of March she has laid 3 softies and 9 normal eggs. Egg sizes vary between 70-92g depending how many days there are between laying.

 

This morning she laid this. The quality of the shell is good and the cracks are solid. She normally lays a bit if a misshapen egg but nothing like this.

 

 

She was wormed with flubenvet at the start of March, is normally fed calcivet and is on garvo pellets plus free range. Has access to grit and oyster shell. I have added life guard tonic to the drinking water. She is looking healthy and well.

 

Has anybody come across eggs like this before any suggestions?

[Egluntyne]

Am wondering if she is getting too much calcium?

[Chucky Mama]

I would agree that she is probably getting too much calcium. A good diet of layers mash or pellets should not need supplementation with calcium. Access to grit and Lifeguard is enough.

[Miss Millies Chicken]

I am a little confused here. Would the laying of three softies this month not indicate to much calcium?

[Christian]

Softies can be caused by a scare, or just a blip in her system, or lack of calcium or illness, or many other things

 

I tend to agree that a good quality layers food, clean drinking water and access to green stuff is all she should need. Too much calcium can also cause problems, so I would stop using calcivet for a week or two and see if things inprove?

[Miss Millies Chicken]

Ok, I shall leave off the calcivet for a few weeks and keep a close eye on her. Today she has laid a normal looking egg.

I have been giving my 3 ex bats calcivet as well. Should I stop giving them extra calcium? They are fed at present bat crumb but will be changing over to garvo in a few weeks times. They are laying most days since there arrival in Feb and are feathering up nicely. The shell quality is reasonable and only 1 softee.

[Chucky Mama]

If they are in apparent good health and eat a good quality mash or pellet and have access to greens and grit you should not have to supplement them with calcium. Giving more than they need does not benefit them at all and it can cause problems with shells and their kidneys. Softies are often no a result of low calcium levels. I have a hen who started laying intermittent softies after an treatment for an injury. Previously she was my best layer with no shell issues. Adding calcium to her diet produced eggs just like those that you have photographed. Giving a good general tonic like Lifeguard is better than supplementation of calcium alone. I will be popping a sprinkling of crushed baked eggshells in some pellets soaked into a mash for my softie layer. She free ranges and I think she needs to take in a few more pellets to ensure she has everything she needs nutritionally to produce a decent shell.

[Miss Millies Chicken]

Thanks to everyone for your advice.

 

I shall leave off feeding calcivit to the hens