are my chickens too skinny...?...I think they might be...

[CuriousChicken]

Just like people each chicken has a subtly different body chemistry, which requires slightly different vitamin levels. They also have different activity levelsand blah blah, the main point is that no two chickens are the same. You also have to consider how much exposure to the elements they get. Excess vitamins get passed with other waste so why not supplement to give them the best possible chance at health. Sorry if this rambled a bit... I'm not done with my coffee.

 

[AthenaT]

It is my reasoning that I want my hens to be at peak health....because I do spoil them with treats everyday they are not eating as much pellets so I crush 2 daily vitamins each week and sprinkle the powder on the treats to insure they get all they need...any they dont need is processed out of them just like it is with me...I do the same with my dogs, cats and parrot.

 

[CuriousChicken]

Yeah what AthenaT said.

 

[AthenaT]

Well my rescue "Krewe" have finally reached a 3 on the body condition chart so I am having to reduce the "meals and treats" to keep them healthy...they still get them just a much smaller amount now.

 

[Gillian S]

Cool, I see the reasoning behind the vitamins. My girls seem to be gaining weight now that they're on the crumble. I do wonder about the eggs though...they usually lay around mid morning, but the last week or so I've had about three eggs that have been layed over night. The shell seemed to have a leathery texture to it - they'd stepped on it. About an hour ago I cleaned them out and there was another egg there but this one was hard shelled - it had a rough texture though.
My first thought is that they have a calcium deficiency. If it is this, would it take a couple weeks for the new diet to boost the calcium levels in their stores and to then transfer to the eggs? I prefer not to supplement if I don't need to, but I'm happy to do so if needed of course. I don't want to overdo the calcium because of the effect on the kidney's etc
Any thoughts on the reasons behind the eggs' textures and any supplementation etc?
Thanks in advance everyone

 

[AthenaT]

always supplement calcium...each hen will eat just what she needs...if you dont your birds will loose it from bones trying to lay eggs with shell...I keep a dish of oyster shell (crushed) available at all times...I also off egg shell rinsed and microwaved then crushed back to them...sometimes they devour the egg shell other times they eat a bit of oyster shell

 

[Gillian S]

thanks for that

, i'll grab some shell grit today.