YO GEORGIANS! :)

[sanchabird]

I'm about at my wit's end on what to do about two of my hens egg shells being way too soft. I have had free choice oyster shell out in their coop and run without any change. Yesterday I started adding another feed that has more calcium so I hope this helps. If y'all have any suggestions to help our girls, please let me know.

Really strange, but I tried yogurt and it helped. I bought the 20 for $20 yogurts at publix and fed them 1-2 a day. It seemed to help after about a week. I eventually ran out, but didn't have any problems after that. You could also try calcium supplements. I think you can buy tabs that go in their water.

 

[Noobie farmer]

I am, so count me too.

 

[Noobie farmer]

I was advised in the intro post on the welcome section to post this here instead:

I'm new to the world of raising chickens. This is my first year. We built an awesome coop with a little yard, some perches, a small concrete lined puddle we keep filled with collected rain water and a sand pit under the house for them to hang out in. They love it and we love them. We even set up some chairs so we can hang out and just sit in the shade watching them. We got our first egg a couple days ago on 7/22/2014. We have 8 birds total. 4 White Leghorn hens, 2 Silver Tipped Wyandotte hens, and 2 Black Australorp roosters.
The problem is 8 is our limit and we didn't expect any roosters, let alone 2 of them. They are docile and friendly, but they are reaching sexual maturity and are beginning to drive the girls crazy as well as square off with each other. They aren't mean and no one has been hurt yet, but we want to nip this in the bud. We would like to find someone in our area willing to trade one of our beautiful, well fed and extra healthy roosters for a young laying hen. We would be happy with almost any kind of hen but we would like most to either add a Rhode Island Red or just swap it out for a female black Australorp. Would anyone here be willing to make a straight trade? If so feel free to contact me here or my Email (which I can give you if you don't have access to it here).

Sincerely,
Noob

P.S My Avatar pic is of the Roosters in question.

 

[Book]

"Wait- is this BUBBLEGUM!?"

LOL! This explains why eagles do not have those! The kids and I were watching a nest came 2 years ago everyday for months as part of a homeschool project. One day one of the eagle chicks grabbed hold of Dads face like that but just his feathers. He freaked and shook his head and the baby went flying, almost out of the nest and for hours people online watching the nest freaked waiting for mama Eagle to get back from hunting and get the baby back in the nest bowl so it didn't fall hundreds of feet to it's death. Thankfully she saved the day.

All this to say.... glad that chick is close to the ground. LOL

 

[valleychicks]

Really strange, but I tried yogurt and it helped. I bought the 20 for $20 yogurts at publix and fed them 1-2 a day. It seemed to help after about a week. I eventually ran out, but didn't have any problems after that. You could also try calcium supplements. I think you can buy tabs that go in their water.

I it just plain yogurt like the ones that come in the little containers?

 

[Book]

I'm about at my wit's end on what to do about two of my hens egg shells being way too soft. I have had free choice oyster shell out in their coop and run without any change. Yesterday I started adding another feed that has more calcium so I hope this helps. If y'all have any suggestions to help our girls, please let me know.

Crush up egg shells and add those to the food! Try giving them high quality yogurt (I wish there was a Whole Foods or Trader Joes around here!)

On a side note, I have at least two laying right now and I think your right, I think it is the sexlinks! Husband found an egg under one of them! They WILL NOT lay in nesting boxes so far. Making me nuts. LOL

 

[Book]

I was advised in the intro post on the welcome section to post this here instead:

I'm new to the world of raising chickens. This is my first year. We built an awesome coop with a little yard, some perches, a small concrete lined puddle we keep filled with collected rain water and a sand pit under the house for them to hang out in. They love it and we love them. We even set up some chairs so we can hang out and just sit in the shade watching them. We got our first egg a couple days ago on 7/22/2014. We have 8 birds total. 4 White Leghorn hens, 2 Silver Tipped Wyandotte hens, and 2 Black Australorp roosters.
The problem is 8 is our limit and we didn't expect any roosters, let alone 2 of them. They are docile and friendly, but they are reaching sexual maturity and are beginning to drive the girls crazy as well as square off with each other. They aren't mean and no one has been hurt yet, but we want to nip this in the bud. We would like to find someone in our area willing to trade one of our beautiful, well fed and extra healthy roosters for a young laying hen. We would be happy with almost any kind of hen but we would like most to either add a Rhode Island Red or just swap it out for a female black Australorp. Would anyone here be willing to make a straight trade? If so feel free to contact me here or my Email (which I can give you if you don't have access to it here).

Sincerely,
Noob

P.S My Avatar pic is of the Roosters in question.

Welcome to the group!

I wish I could help with your Roo issue, alas, we are at capasity as well. Our EE Roo is making me nuts with how much he bothers the hens! We have a sweet polish roo that doesn't bother anyone.... I am thinking of giving the EE Roo away! If I do, I will post him craigslist. So that is my advice, post your Roo on your local craigslist and also on any local facebook page you have for your area that is about chickens/farming or selling/trading!

 

[valleychicks]

Crush up egg shells and add those to the food! Try giving them high quality yogurt (I wish there was a Whole Foods or Trader Joes around here!)

On a side note, I have at least two laying right now and I think your right, I think it is the sexlinks! Husband found an egg under one of them! They WILL NOT lay in nesting boxes so far. Making me nuts. LOL

I am having the issue with our Production/Rhode Island Red and the one I call an EE because I have no idea what she is. She lays a light pink egg when it isn't too thin. Our true Rhode Island Red lays a tanish/pink egg and the Australorp lays a beautiful dark tan shiny egg. I have seen mixed reviews on giving yogurt to chickens so I want to make sure I get the right kind.

Have you posted a picture of your nest boxes? I would like to see them. Our girls lay the eggs in the boxes when it is a "whole" egg. When it's messed up I find a mess under the roost or sometimes they drop it in the yard.

 

[Flowerbh]

Welcome to the group!

I wish I could help with your Roo issue, alas, we are at capasity as well. Our EE Roo is making me nuts with how much he bothers the hens! We have a sweet polish roo that doesn't bother anyone.... I am thinking of giving the EE Roo away! If I do, I will post him craigslist. So that is my advice, post your Roo on your local craigslist and also on any local facebook page you have for your area that is about chickens/farming or selling/trading!

Last time I went to the chicken auction, a Black Australorp Rooster went for $39! You may want to take any unwanted chickens to auction!

About the soft shelled eggs. You may want to grind them up in a food processor, the whole egg. I cook them and feed them back to the chickens. I do that with any weird, cracked or soft shelled eggs. They get the extra protein as well as extra calcium. I only have one girl who lays a soft shell sometimes, but she is almost 3 years old and doesn't really like the free standing calcium, so I just feed them back to all the hens.

 

[RoboDuck]

I'm about at my wit's end on what to do about two of my hens egg shells being way too soft. I have had free choice oyster shell out in their coop and run without any change. Yesterday I started adding another feed that has more calcium so I hope this helps. If y'all have any suggestions to help our girls, please let me know.

GOT MILK?