15-week old chicken laid egg

[ReiK]

Use the dog calcium tablets, one per day, until the citrate arrives. This is a calcium boost temporarily until this pullet gets on track. It must not be given regularly. That's what oyster shell or crushed limestone is for. You should be able to get it at your poultry store where you get your feed. Forget about the layer feed for now. Keep feeding the starter feed until all of the pullets are laying.

The most important thing is to find a daily calcium source for them. It would surprise me you wouldn't be able to find oyster shell since oysters grow in the ocean all around those islands. You're probably walking on them every time you step outdoors.

Sadly, even before posting for this thread, i already asked our place poultry supply for calcium like oyster shell, calcium grits, egg shell, limestones.. but none is available. Our oyster shell for poultry seems still imported from the US which is online only. But i can obtain raw oyster shell. I just don't know how it will be safe for the chicken since there can be bacteria. I don't have oven at home (based on research need to bake the shell).

 

[ReiK]

Check her crop in the morning before you feed her. If her crop is full in the morning, she's likely having eggs start to back up inside her. All the more reason to give her a daily calcium tablet until she begins laying normal eggs.

Is it egg on her crop? But i'd be more happy if it is, as i am afraid of possibility of sour crop/impacted crop/pendulous crop.

I can actually feed her with layer feed as she is alone on her cage, no other chicken can access what she is eating. They have a gene for gamefowl so they don't go along too well with same sex chickens. I don't place rooster with her as i never want her to be bred at young age. So i am kinda disappointed on how young she started laying eggs.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@azygous is very knowledgeable with all of this. At your pullet age, you should be able to take up her feed and water overnight as she needs to be sleeping during this time. As far as her crop, it could be her having laying problems or maybe she's eating more now that her body is requiring more. The best way to check crop function is to remove food and water overnight and then make sure her crop is flat and empty whenever she's ready to start her day the next morning. If so, go ahead and give her food and water. If not, @azygous has a wonderful article written about this and we'll be here to support you and help if we can. The most important thing right now, in my opinion, is to get her laying better with a nice strong egg shell. Once you start to see nice eggs with strong shells, stop the calcium boost and only offer oyster shell and/or crushed up egg Shells for her to use as needed. Too much calcium is bad for them but anytime a pullet or hen needs a calcium boost because she's laying soft shelled eggs, I don't want to risk an egg breaking inside of the bird as that's oftentimes deadly. If you're unable to get oyster shell, what about some crushed egg Shells?

 

[ReiK]

@azygous is very knowledgeable with all of this. At your pullet age, you should be able to take up her feed and water overnight as she needs to be sleeping during this time. As far as her crop, it could be her having laying problems or maybe she's eating more now that her body is requiring more. The best way to check crop function is to remove food and water overnight and then make sure her crop is flat and empty whenever she's ready to start her day the next morning. If so, go ahead and give her food and water. If not, @azygous has a wonderful article written about this and we'll be here to support you and help if we can. The most important thing right now, in my opinion, is to get her laying better with a nice strong egg shell. Once you start to see nice eggs with strong shells, stop the calcium boost and only offer oyster shell and/or crushed up egg Shells for her to use as needed. Too much calcium is bad for them but anytime a pullet or hen needs a calcium boost because she's laying soft shelled eggs, I don't want to risk an egg breaking inside of the bird as that's oftentimes deadly. If you're unable to get oyster shell, what about some crushed egg Shells?

Thank you for all the help. will check her crop tomorrow. I did placed crushed boiled egg shell today, will do the tablet tomorrow. Will crush the tablet tomorrow and place in separate small container. Will she knows when it is enough(right amount)? The egg shell today is unsuccessful, she pecks then drop it out. She seems to like smaller particles so i will try blending it if possible.

 

[azygous]

When a chicken's crop is not emptying overnight, it can be from a blockage forming. Laying hens' bodies share their reproductive tract with their digestive tract, so a crop that doesn't empty may point to a blockage forming in the reproductive tract. Extra calcium in the form of calcium carbonate or citrate can help increase contractions to expel the egg that may be having trouble coming out due to it lacking a shell.

Do not crush the calcium tablet. Place it whole inside her beak and she will swallow it. She needs the one whole tablet each day until she is laying good eggs.

If you can, get some whole oyster shells. Soak them for fifteen minutes in a bleach solution (one little splash in a gallon of water), rinse in clean water, dry, place in a bag and crush them with a hammer. You don't want powder but fragments resembling gravel. No need to bake or boil them.

 

[ReiK]

When a chicken's crop is not emptying overnight, it can be from a blockage forming. Laying hens' bodies share their reproductive tract with their digestive tract, so a crop that doesn't empty may point to a blockage forming in the reproductive tract. Extra calcium in the form of calcium carbonate or citrate can help increase contractions to expel the egg that may be having trouble coming out due to it lacking a shell.

Do not crush the calcium tablet. Place it whole inside her beak and she will swallow it. She needs the one whole tablet each day until she is laying good eggs.

If you can, get some whole oyster shells. Soak them for fifteen minutes in a bleach solution (one little splash in a gallon of water), rinse in clean water, dry, place in a bag and crush them with a hammer. You don't want powder but fragments resembling gravel. No need to bake or boil them.

Thank you. Will do. Checked this morning, looks like it is smaller and normal. No egg today. But will provide calcium and look for oyster shells.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you. Will do. Checked this morning, looks like it is smaller and normal. No egg today. But will provide calcium and look for oyster shells.

That's wonderful. I'm so happy to read that. Whenever they first start laying, some birds will lay fairly regularly, but others only lay here and there while their bodies get everything sorted. Of course with this pullet, it'd be a good idea to keep track of her laying habits. Hopefully her next egg will be perfectly shelled and give her no problems at all

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sadly, even before posting for this thread, i already asked our place poultry supply for calcium like oyster shell, calcium grits, egg shell, limestones.. but none is available. Our oyster shell for poultry seems still imported from the US which is online only. But i can obtain raw oyster shell. I just don't know how it will be safe for the chicken since there can be bacteria. I don't have oven at home (based on research need to bake the shell).

DO you have a way to make a small fire w/o causing trouble? and a metal coffee can, "chimney starter" or similar?

Basically, you need to cook and dry the oyster shell for sanitation. Something like this is all you need. A few sheets of paper on the bottom to get things started, some charcoal briquet or even sticks in the middle to form coals, then wrap some oyster shells in aluminum foil and toss 'em on top - or skip the aluminum foil and accept a little carbon on the outside. It doesn't need to be stupid hot, just an average shell temp above boiling for some moderate period of time - 5-15 minutes.

Once things are cool, crush with a heavy object (eye protection, gloves. Safety third!!!!) and feed to your birds.

You could even make a solar oven for doing this. But a converted metal can to form a chimney starter is probably easiest.

 

[ReiK]

That's wonderful. I'm so happy to read that. Whenever they first start laying, some birds will lay fairly regularly, but others only lay here and there while their bodies get everything sorted. Of course with this pullet, it'd be a good idea to keep track of her laying habits. Hopefully her next egg will be perfectly shelled and give her no problems at all

Thank you. Hope so too.

 

[ReiK]

DO you have a way to make a small fire w/o causing trouble? and a metal coffee can, "chimney starter" or similar?
View attachment 2702678


Basically, you need to cook and dry the oyster shell for sanitation. Something like this is all you need. A few sheets of paper on the bottom to get things started, some charcoal briquet or even sticks in the middle to form coals, then wrap some oyster shells in aluminum foil and toss 'em on top - or skip the aluminum foil and accept a little carbon on the outside. It doesn't need to be stupid hot, just an average shell temp above boiling for some moderate period of time - 5-15 minutes.

Once things are cool, crush with a heavy object (eye protection, gloves. Safety third!!!!) and feed to your birds.

You could even make a solar oven for doing this. But a converted metal can to form a chimney starter is probably easiest.

Hi. We are not allowed in our area to have fire in our yard. We are in a center of city.