2015 Peafowl Hatching Support Group - Eggs and Chicks!

[DylansMom]

Anybody know what is going on here? First 2 eggs were normal, this is #3, and #4 is normal. It is not cracked, the shell appears to have formed this way. It feels like very fine grain sand paper, OUCH!

 

[Kedreeva]

Anybody know what is going on here? First 2 eggs were normal, this is #3, and #4 is normal. It is not cracked, the shell appears to have formed this way. It feels like very fine grain sand paper, OUCH!

If the shell feels like sandpaper, what I've seen in my chickens is that when this happens, it's a step above having a soft-shelled egg. If it's a one-off maybe she was just having a bad day.

 

[casportpony]

Anybody know what is going on here? First 2 eggs were normal, this is #3, and #4 is normal. It is not cracked, the shell appears to have formed this way. It feels like very fine grain sand paper, OUCH!

Looks like something might be going on in her repro tract? If you aren't going to set it, you might want crack it open and check the thickness of the shell. If too thin, add more calcium?

-Kathy

 

[zazouse]

If the shell feels like sandpaper, what I've seen in my chickens is that when this happens, it's a step above having a soft-shelled egg. If it's a one-off maybe she was just having a bad day.

Agreed your hen is not absorbing the calcium as she should for laying eggs, try feeding her greens with calcium and see if this help

 

[DylansMom]

Looks like something might be going on in her repro tract? If you aren't going to set it, you might want crack it open and check the thickness of the shell. If too thin, add more calcium?

-Kathy

Agreed your hen is not absorbing the calcium as she should for laying eggs, try feeding her greens with calcium and see if this help

Suggestions? She has access to an outdoor run with plenty of vegetation in it, oyster shell in a dish and some mixed into the layer feed, scrambled eggs with eggshell offered, but she does not like them so she doesn't eat it. Also added dried alfalfa bits to the feed, and each day I have been giving her some potato bread cubes with liquid calcium drops sprinkled on them. Also put a multi-vit powder in the water once a week. As far as Calcium I am out of ideas, I would hope the sunshine and vit. powder would cover the D3 needs. As stated first 2 eggs were normal and # 4 was normal, this was the only odd one #3.

 

[DylansMom]

Looks like something might be going on in her repro tract? If you aren't going to set it, you might want crack it open and check the thickness of the shell. If too thin, add more calcium?

-Kathy

I have not squeezed it, but it feels solid. I am considering setting it just to see, afraid to mess up my shiney new bator though.

 

[zazouse]

I have not squeezed it, but it feels solid. I am considering setting it just to see, afraid to mess up my shiney new bator though.

Set it in a container

 

[DylansMom]

Set it in a container

I don't think that would work in the sportsman, but I could put it in a container in the old genesis. Hmmm, decisions, decisions! Any ideas on the supplemental calcium?

 

[zazouse]

Suggestions? She has access to an outdoor run with plenty of vegetation in it, oyster shell in a dish and some mixed into the layer feed, scrambled eggs with eggshell offered, but she does not like them so she doesn't eat it. Also added dried alfalfa bits to the feed, and each day I have been giving her some potato bread cubes with liquid calcium drops sprinkled on them. Also put a multi-vit powder in the water once a week. As far as Calcium I am out of ideas, I would hope the sunshine and vit. powder would cover the D3 needs. As stated first 2 eggs were normal and # 4 was normal, this was the only odd one #3.

Not all vegetation is a good source of calcium and what is need to aid in proper absorption and what to much calcium can cause, i posted this read a while back perhaps it will help you understand things a bit more,
http://www.twinbeaksaviary.com/whichisbest.html

 

[Kedreeva]

Agreed your hen is not absorbing the calcium as she should for laying eggs, try feeding her greens with calcium and see if this help

Best greens for calcium are kale (and all mine also love it) and collard greens (which all of mine hate lol). You can also try broccoli, turnip greens, garlic cloves (which mine will fight over cloves of garlic and it's good for them in other ways), or mustard greens (which mine will eat... but only grudgingly) if your birds are picky or get bored easily. Mine also like a small helping of plain greek yogurt once in a while.

And the reason Zaz says 'not absorbing' (because you may have oyster shell or something in the pen, so she may be eating enough calcium) is because calcium requires other things in order for a body to absorb it (which is why it's so much less effective to give straight up vitamins without the enzymes and proteins and stuff found in natural foods), so eating it WITH those things can help with the uptake. If you're giving them treats or they have access to free range Stuff (I can't remember if your kids are penned or not sorry!), then something else she may have eaten on a particular day may have helped in temporarily inhibit her ability to uptak calcium, if it's just the one egg.