4 yo golden comet, won't eat any calcium, keeps getting eggbound

[sayccrn]

She keeps getting eggbound. Had an extremely hard time a few weeks ago. She had two eggs blocked. I managed to get her fixed, and had an infection for which I tried Tylan. It worked and she slowly got better. She hasn't laid for about 3 weeks.

But her first egg got bound again, I managed to give her some calcium and she expelled it under her roost in the morning. I am not sure, but I think she just doesn't like any calcium supplements. She won't eat the oyster shells, I tried eggshells, (how much of those do I even feed her?) I have an expensive calcium powder for their water, so she's getting some. (problem with that is, I have new chicks, so once I put them in with my old gals, she'll just have the oyster shells) I also am trying a little lime in their food. (How much of that too? I know that's controversial, but I am at a loss here.) And alfalfa cubes, I think she picks on that. (Again, how much?) Is there anything else I can do.

Oh I also give her tons of grubbies, cuz she loves those and that's the only thing I know she will eat. (That's actually how I know she's blocked again, she won't eat them.) Is there something else I can try for her? Or do you all think she's got something else wrong with her. I would like her to stay alive long enough to get her new sisters out in the coop, cuz I don't want my other old gal all alone. Any ideas?

Please help, this is my first flock, so I have no experience with older hens. We've had a hard summer, and lost 3 of various things. Mostly wet pox. For which I saved one, and the other died from one thing after another until she died from organ failure.

Any ideas, please? These are the pictures when she had two eggs blocked. She ate the second one.

 

[Eggcessive]

Calcium citrate with vitamin D tablet should be given directly into her beak to swallow, while holding her, and then hold her still until it goes down. You can give one tablet daily if she is egg bound. Does she have any constipation? You are not doing her any favors by feeding grubs only. She needs to have a balanced chicken feed. You could try feeding some with water to make an oatmeal consistence. Scrambled egg, in a small amount could also give interest. Do you use a layer feed and have crushed oyster shell available.

 

[sayccrn]

Vit D is the only thing I haven't tried. Is that just when she's bound or one everyday. And what's the dosage of the vit d? She has her laying feed down all the time, I don't just give her grubbies. I give a couple of small handfuls a day. She does not appear to be constipated, she has a good amount of normal poop under her roost everyday. (Unless she's bound) oyster shell is available at all times and I put some in their food tray every morning when I bring out the feed. Could I grind up the oyster shells more, maybe? I tried fermented feed but everyone seemed to get sour crop more easily, so I stopped. I also am trying a small spoon of unflavored, no sugar added Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of crushed eggshells and a few grubbies once a day. When she was just getting better the scrambled eggs she liked, I put the eggshells in those too. But since she's not currently laying and my remaining girl, is just getting done with molting, I don't have any eggs to spare at the moment. Hopefully that will change with the new girls. But that's a ways off from now. Thanks for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

The vitamin D is given in the calcium tablet to help. There is D and calcium in the feed, but when one is egg bound or having shell-less eggs, calcium plus D is the treatment to help increase muscle contraction. I don’t recommend giving D alone, or putting lime in the feed. There are different kinds of lime, and some are caustic. Crushed oyster shell and egg shells should be kept in a separate container than the feed. They will take what they need. If it is in their feed, they may take too much. I sprinkle oyster shell and grit around where they eat and drink or put them in separate containers. Since she doesn’t have a problem right now laying, and has been molting, she shouldn’t need extra calcium. I thought that you were worried about her now. If and when she starts laying again and acts egg bound, then I would worry about calcium and vitamin D.

 

[nuthatched]

Stop any treats, they are likely not helping and could be making it worse. Some hen have difficulty laying no matter how much calcium they get.

 

[sayccrn]

I am still having trouble now, even though she's molting. She was egg bound just yesterday, again. (First egg since her double egg bound incident.) I had stopped the extra calcium , then she got bound again. She is an excellent layer. She lays sporadically through molt. When she first started laying she laid 416 days in a row! I have the oyster shells and grit in separate containers in the run already. Could she be having issues in her system? Not with the calcium, maybe? Maybe because she was such an excellent layer? She's damaged her track, idk.

 

[sayccrn]

Stop any treats, they are likely not helping and could be making it worse. Some hen have difficulty laying no matter how much calcium they get.

How can you tell though? She was an excellent layer before all this. Could that just change like that, so quickly?

 

[nuthatched]

How can you tell though? She was an excellent layer before all this. Could that just change like that, so quickly?

Unfortunately, she's a production hybrid, she's also 4, production breeds often suffer from reproductive issues and 3-5 is when these issues often rear their ugly heads.

 

[StinkyAcres]

This is what @Eggcessive is referring to:

 

[sayccrn]

Unfortunately, she's a production hybrid, she's also 4, production breeds often suffer from reproductive issues and 3-5 is when these issues often rear their ugly heads.

Uggg...so what am I to do? Cull her?