2 year old hen, never laid a regular egg

[chiknGeek]

I have a two year old speckled sussex hen. Every egg she's ever laid had been soft shelled. I have tried giving her extra calcium supplements. Otherwise she appears healthy. Does she just have a defective shell gland?

 

[nuthatched]

Very likely. I'd be concerned of one breaking inside her at some point.

 

[chiknGeek]

The fancy hormone implants are not available in my area. I guess the best I can do is keep a close eye on her health. Is there any benefit to trying calcium supplements again or is it likely to get her calcium too high?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is there any benefit to trying calcium supplements again or is it likely to get her calcium too high?

You can try, but if supplementing daily for 2-3 weeks (not sure how much/how long you tried previously) doesn't yield any improved results, you're not likely to see any. If you already tried something like that in the past with no improvement, then I'd chalk this up to a shelling gland issue, so additional calcium won't fix it.

 

[aart]

I have tried giving her extra calcium supplements.

How exactly did you do this?
All your other birds laying good shells?

 

[theoldchick]

A defective shell gland can be caused by a variety of problems. Genetics and viral bacterial infection are a few things to research. Often the cause is not found. Some owners observe the affected bird and some will have the hen spayed. I donated a few Sapphire Gems for research in reproductive disorders in super layers and a spayed hen was returned to me. She's doing great and is easy to get along with.

 

[chiknGeek]

I gave her the calcium+D3 pills. Put them in her beak. All of my other hens lay normally, with normal shells. Probably unrelated but I had gotten two sussex at the same time. The other one dropped dead immediately after laying her first egg. The other pullet egg was normal though.

 

[aart]

I gave her the calcium+D3 pills. Put them in her beak.

How long did you do this?
Chances are she's just a lemon.

 

[chiknGeek]

Usually for a week or so. I didn't want to overdo it and cause other problems.

At least she's got a fun personality.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Usually for a week or so. I didn't want to overdo it and cause other problems.

Try 2-3 weeks. My guess is she's a dud, but calcium build up occurs over a longer stretch of time so it doesn't hurt to give it a little longer so you know for sure.