- Apr 16, 2012
- 320
- 8
- 108
I've been researching like crazy, and don't know what to think. I've got six hens, and all are acting fine, but they have been having some problems with thinner eggshells in the last couple months. They were fine all winter and producing eggs with thick shells, but about 2.5 months ago I had an egg that was ridged, and discolored, and the shell was thin. During the winter I had the chickens on 18% crumbles, but a couple months ago our local mill gave me a bag of pellets by accident. We decided to keep the pellets since the mill was closed for the weekend, and we were out of food and didn't have much of a choice. My chickens didn't care for the pellets, but did eat them. We noticed their eggshells starting to get thinner, sometimes to the point that they would be destroyed when the other chickens laid on them in the process of laying their eggs. I have oyster shell available at all times, and of course grit, food and fresh water. They are also getting outside and running free in our yard so they have some bugs, and green grass. But the thin shells seem to be spreading throughout the group, and now I am seeing white milky poop splatters in the yard. But they are active and seem fine. This poop isn't like their normal sometimes watery poop. It's like spilt milk. So my problem is thin eggshells, and milk poop. Any ideas what could be going on? Maybe I need to worm them? Also, the white milky poop started within this week, and we just switched them back over to 16% crumbles, so could the different food change be the cause of the milky poo?
