Solitary chicken - need advice

[Flowerpot]

Hi

I wonder if anyone can help me please?

Rosietoo is a Suffolk hybrid and she is quite a big hen, about a year old. She has started laying the most enormous eggs and has had difficulty because they are so big.

So much so that they get stuck. Fortunately for her the other hens 'help her out' by pecking at the shell until they get a bit and then she lays the egg, which looks like a boiled egg with the top cut off because of the other hens getting the egg from her.

Does this make sense?

I wanted to know whether there is anyway I can help her not to produce such large eggs? is there something I can do - like not feed her layers pellets or just feed her corn or what?

She needs help poor girl but I have no idea what to do to help her. I have read about what to do with egg bound hens - not that I have had to do anything for her because the other hens seem to be fascinated and then as I have said get the egg out so they can have it!!!!!!!

I would appreciate some of your wisdom please

Thanks

Flowerpot

[Beantree]

That's a very unusual problem Flowerpot. I think you are right to be very concerned as two things are happening here. Firstly the others are developing an egg eating habit which could be a big problem for you. Second, with all the straining Rosietoo is doing, she is likely to prolapse. The only thing I can suggest is to put her on a wheat only diet until she stops laying completely (for about a week) and then put her back onto layers pellets and see if her egg size reduces a bit. It's a long shot, but I don't know what else to suggest?

 

Presumably she has been wormed with Flubenvet recently? A worm burden will affect the egg size and shell quality in that the shell surface is matt or rough. That rougher texture won't make laying easy.

[Flowerpot]

Thanks Beantree

Yes I am just in the process of worming them again with Flubenvet.

The girls don't seem to touch the eggs in the nestbox but anything laid outside is fair game - but I am keeping and eye out. The problem for me is that I always seem to be out when they lay. However there hasn't been a problem so far!!!

 

Rosietoo does prefer grain to layers pellets so that shouldn't be a problem for her at all! I will give it a go. I keep telling her she doesn't have to lay at all because I love her anyway but then she goes and tries to lay another giant egg!

One of my first hens died of a prolapse problem so I am afraid for Rosietoo that it will happen to her. So far she has always retracted the oviduct(I think!) so I am hopeful she will continue to be ok from that point of view. I couldn't bear it if she gave up as well.

 

Thanks for your help

Flowerpot