Chicken bald back

[Scaredyhen]

Hi all,

 

Just after some opinions on one of my lovely girls. She is a Vorwerk, about a year old. I've had them a few months and she has laid a couple of soft shell eggs in that time. This week however she has laid three in four days. This afternoon she seems very poorly, hunched and quiet and not eating. She eventually laid a soft shell on the lawn. I've brought her inside and made her up a mash which she has eaten now - earlier on she even refused a mealworm

 

To give you all the info,in case it is relevant - on Thursday afternoon I saw her gaping - not seen her doing it since, and they were wormed just over a month ago with Marriages flubenvet pellets. I tried to get some flubenvet to worm again, but have had problems getting hold of more as yet.

 

So I've had a google and am worried now about egg peritonitis. I feel a bit better now she has come in and eaten quite readily. If it isn't egg peritonitis and she's just feeling a bit rubbish and hopefully rallies again tonight, is there anything else I can do to try and prevent it? They have constant access to oystershell, and mostly free range all day except two days a week. I think from now I will keep them in for an hour or two in the mornings to make sure they get their pellets - they don't eat that many of these due to the free ranging and I let them out first thing. I thought that would be OK but have now read perhaps I should make sure they are eating a decent amount of pellet.

 

Any thoughts or experience appreciated.

[Scaredyhen]

Put her back out with the others half an hour later and she was right as rain

 

If it was egg peritonitis she wouldn't perk up would she? Or can it be a slow burner? Could a lot of soft shells eventually lead to it anyway?

[Chickabee]

I think she would have been a lot more poorly. As you suggest yourself, perhaps they should have longer inside to eat more pellets. A few sunflower seeds should go down well too, as they are high in selenium and protein. Do you have any kind of tonic you could put in their water?

[Scaredyhen]

Thanks Chickabee,

 

I have Verm-X and put ACV in their water twice a week. She had verm-x mixed in with her mash earlier too. They do get a lot of treats as well to get them in the run when I need to nip out for school runs etc, I think I'll start with cutting all these things down and perhaps get some limestone powder stuff to mix in? (Can't remember the name of that now!)

[redsunset]

I've had a couple of hens who looked like death, hunched up etc.......soon as they laid the shell less egg it was like instant relief. One thing I found was less treats, more pellets or mash. Think I gave a bit to much crumbled wholemeal bread that week (which I know know is bad for them) so easy on any treats. I do buy cabbages and lettuces all the time for them when I get them reduced in supermarket as no grass left so supplements a wee bit of greenery.

[Chickabee]

I think it's limestone flour . I have also mashed up a vitamin D tablet and put it in something tasty. Maybe yogurt, for my exbats when they had she'll problems. Think I pinched that idea from Beantree