My red sex link hen laid two eggs today. One was hard shelled but not colored evenly..the other was a soft eggs. She does this about once a week. Has anyone else had this happen? What would cause this?
2 egg in one day.. from same hen!?!
- Thread starter Emptywagon2
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You said hen - is she an older chicken? Soft shelled eggs occassionally aren't that big of a deal and I've read it's a need for less treats & more oyster shell. If she's a new laying pullet, then it's completely normal for her to have a few weird eggs until her body gets used to laying. And laying a softshelled egg & a real hard shelled egg in the same day is possible.
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- #3
Sorry, I should have stated her age... she is 9 months old. She has been laying almost every day since September 9Th. Just in the last month, she has started laying two eggs in the same day ( only once a week). Most of the time, both eggs are soft but occasionally one is hard.
It sort of sounds like her egg production mechanism is sending out eggs faster than her shell production mechanism can make shells. Especially if she is making large eggs.
Vitamin D3 and calcium are essential for shells. You can get chicken vitamins (even at TSC or on line) and giving oyster shell, and crushing their own egg shells (I microwave mine when I am fixing a cup of boiling water) provides plenty of calcium along with a good layers ration for the feed. Putting 1TBSP of apple cider vinegar in the hen's water helps their body absorb calcium too.
if the hen doesn't have enough calcium she will pull it from her own bones (ouch).
But the rate your hen produces, it seems that it would be impossible for her to make 2 shells in one day...although some egg layers occasionally can accomplish that now and then.
It almost sounds like it would be good to slow her down a little. Good luck, post back if you get the 'cure'.
Vitamin D3 and calcium are essential for shells. You can get chicken vitamins (even at TSC or on line) and giving oyster shell, and crushing their own egg shells (I microwave mine when I am fixing a cup of boiling water) provides plenty of calcium along with a good layers ration for the feed. Putting 1TBSP of apple cider vinegar in the hen's water helps their body absorb calcium too.
if the hen doesn't have enough calcium she will pull it from her own bones (ouch).
But the rate your hen produces, it seems that it would be impossible for her to make 2 shells in one day...although some egg layers occasionally can accomplish that now and then.
It almost sounds like it would be good to slow her down a little. Good luck, post back if you get the 'cure'.
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- #5
Any advice on how to do that? I must be the only BYCer that wants to slow down their hen's laying!!
Quote: Good question. Just go to all the advice on how to promote laying...and do the opposite! -- Kidding of course.
Sometimes mine seem to lay more and larger when they eat a LOT. I know that some folks monitor their chickens, like all they can eat in 20-minutes or something like that, and others have feed free choice all the time. Don't know if something like that would work in your situation. It could be though, that if you did find a way to slow her down a little, it would/could become a permanent thing.
Maybe you will get some ideas for that...but you may be entering uncharted chicken territory trying to slow down laying. ;0)
Sometimes mine seem to lay more and larger when they eat a LOT. I know that some folks monitor their chickens, like all they can eat in 20-minutes or something like that, and others have feed free choice all the time. Don't know if something like that would work in your situation. It could be though, that if you did find a way to slow her down a little, it would/could become a permanent thing.
Maybe you will get some ideas for that...but you may be entering uncharted chicken territory trying to slow down laying. ;0)
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- #7
dercrease her light hours, by keeping her in a dark place all but about 5 to six hours a day this will help to slow her down. this will also help a hen that has prolapsed buy some time to heal. by decreasing her light you are trying to reset her laying clock
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- #9
She didn't lay today. She is taking a much needed break.
- Mar 19, 2013
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My red star just did the same today!! lol shes 6 months old, and she does it once a week a have a couple more that have done the same thing?? I give oyster shell too!! they are egg layong machines!! lol
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