How can I find my old pictures?

[MissPug+Chooks]

Oyster Shell or Man made product?

 

I have gotton over a worming issue now after VermX NOT doing the job - I moved onto FlubenVet did their first week and then 3 weeks later did another week to totally break the worm life cycle.

 

And then they were laying, but the pesky pekin was pecking the eggs.....which already have thin shells so I bought a china egg with great results....until today when the pekin sat on a egg and squashed it then continued to eat it.

 

So I'm guessing egg shells need improving?!

 

Any suggestions?

 

Many Thanks

x

[Sue]

When birds are coming into or going out of lay the shell quality can be reduced. This time of year most birds over 15 months old will need to moult and replace their feathers. This is a stressful time anyway, and they will need any extra protein they can get to help with growing new feathers.

 

When a hen has laid an egg she will inspect it by lightly tapping it with her beak. If the shell is thin it will break and to clean things up the egg will be eaten. Once this becomes a regular thing it is a hard habit to break and others may copy.

 

Things you can do to help with this is

Make sure they always have access to oystershell grit in a small pot for calcium, and sometimes a very little Cod liver oil on the feed aids calcium absorbtion little and often is the way to go - base your estimate on the fact an adult human needs about a teaspoonful a day.

Darken the nest boxes by hanging some old towelling or blanket 2/3rds of the way over the opening

Put in plenty of nest material - wood shavings is good

[BadGardener]

Would baked and ground up eggshells do the same job as the oyster shell? I've seen that recommended.

[Sue]

I read it somewhere, though I can't remember the exact quantities but they need surprising amounts of eggshell to get the calcium they require.

 

Most layers pellets contain the maximum of calcium in the form of ground limestone, mainly as it is cheaper than actual feed, but by putting some Oystershell grit in a little pot then if they do feel the need it is there. It is pretty inexpensive. 20 kilos is probably less than £10 from an agricultral merchants, and lasts forever and doesn't need to be kept dry.

 

As I say they need vit. D in order use calcium effectively which is where the oil comes in, but of course good sunshine is a help, probably a bit in short supply here this year

[longford]

I have four girls who recently started laying but after a few weeks we were getting 2/3 soft shells everyday.

 

I did a bit of research and purchased some shell max from Wells Poultry.

 

It's a liquid supplement you put in their water and after a few days the soft shells were replaced with nice proper hard shelled eggs.

 

It's not cheap at £16 but to be honest has been worth every penny to me.

 

It will last for years as you use 1ml per 5 litres of water and the bottle is a litre in size but I couldn't find any smaller.