Chicken bald back

[AndyRoo]

Hello

 

Does anyone else notice any changes in their hen's eggs as the temperature changes?

 

I noticed this week that there's been several changes in their laying habits:

 

In addition to her new feather plucking behaviour, one of our Legbars has started laying outside the cube. Today I also noticed that one of her eggs was wrinkled - still a hard shell, just wrinkled.

 

I also noticed when I cleaned out the run today that our Bluebelle has apparently laid 5 softies! Which I am sure means she must have laid more than 1 egg a day on some days...

 

For the first time ever, our White Star has also laid a softie!

 

We haven't changed anything at all other than the positioning of their run: same food, same bedding, same everything. Once I realised this I added some tonic to their water today.

 

Does this happen naturally if the temperature suddenly increases? 2 weeks ago is was perhaps 10 degrees tops in the day, now in the last week it's leapt up to the late teens...

 

I don't know if there's something wrong or not.

 

Any advice?

[mullethunter]

Hi Andy. I don't know the answer, but can maybe add supporting evidence! I know all is not quite well in my coop what with Margot being poorly at the beginning of the week and then losing Barbara at the end, but over the last 10 days egg laying in my gang has dropped off.

 

Shelley who is usually like clockwork once she gets started has been really erratic, and Margot who despite apparent digestion problems has been regularly laying 2 perfect eggs every 3 days has now laid her last 2 eggs with no she'll or membrane and then no shell (she seems fine in herself now though).

 

There does seem to be something odd going on - we've had several very cold, frost nights here in that time, so I wonder if it's that.

[AndyRoo]

Well, we went out there this morning and had 4 fully formed, perfect eggs.

 

God knows what is going on.

 

Maybe it's the tonic I added to the water the other day.

[sjp]

soft shells are lack of calcium check the sell by date of the feed I had a problem early on in my chicken keeping with a bag of nearly out of date feed (fairly good quality brand) causing soft shelled eggs also had it with a couple of cheaper brands with short use/sell by dates. since I switched to firstly Garvo now matador other than a couple of girls that are prone to softies I've never had a problem with lots of softies did get a few poor quality shells part way through the AI lock down but I put some grit out and that cured them

also to much calcium can for some reason can cause soft shelled eggs that's a bit rarer through

[AndyRoo]

See, I'm not quite sure it is a lack of calcium with her. All the other girls are fine (sans the one solitary egg between them), it's just the Bluebelle.

 

She eats the same food they do, and I always make sure they have oyster shell available and I scatter some on the ground every other day... ever since she started laying she has just been a frequent layer of softies and I am not really sure why.

 

Each time we do a bedding change we'll notice she's done 1 or 2. She never goes a week without at least one!

 

Last week was a particular record for her, though.

[sjp]

I've had this problem with the odd bird before life guard tonic bit the trick with the worst of them I had to use it for 2 or 3 days straight once a month or so depending on when she laid a soft shelled egg with the other odd one or 2 girls meal worms every few days were enough with the current bird a LS she seems to have grown out of it to a degree now it's mainly week shells she lays

of you've got any dandelions growing try giving her a few leaves the calcium in them is easier for the body to use

I'd be tempted to reduce the amount of extra mixed grit you give them just put a pot in the run for them to dip into as and when if you think they need it

[Beantree]

We had the same problem with a bluebell Andy. Put it down to the very dark eye and comb pigmentation and the fact she stayed in the coop a lot meaning she didn't get sunshine and therefore lacked vitamin D. We ran out of patience eventually because cleaning out the nest box every single day was wasting a lot of time and material.

[AndyRoo]

We had the same problem with a bluebell Andy. Put it down to the very dark eye and comb pigmentation and the fact she stayed in the coop a lot meaning she didn't get sunshine and therefore lacked vitamin D. We ran out of patience eventually because cleaning out the nest box every single day was wasting a lot of time and material.

 

I'll experiment a little bit with tonic and maybe the occasional treat of mealworms to see if that helps!

 

I've spent a little time researching the breed and it seems like they might be slightly prone to it.

 

When the time comes for some new hens I don't think I'll get a Bluebelle again. Although I do quite like the chunky breeds... I'll have to find something else. An Orpington or something.