4 year old comet chicken eggs breaking to easily help please

[Yuki]

I have a comet hen who is almost four years old this April her eggs keep breaking at the sights bump for over 5 times in a row from what I know she is the lowest of the flock and in concerned it could lead to the egg breaking in side of her is it from age it from nutritional needs she just started laying again a week ago the older hens have been hardly laying anything for over eight months in worried please help

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Yuki,

Just like you, I keep my chicken houses inside a chain link dog kennel with a roof to prevent predators.

Try adding vinegar to the water for your chickens. That will help her digestive tract absorb calcium. Make sure that there is free-choice calcium for her to eat. You might also put an extra feeder in the pen if you think the other chickens are chasing her away from the feed. When I had an older chicken who couldn't make shells any longer, I gave her vinegar and some B-vitamins. You can get chicken vitamins at the store, or you can crush up B-vitamin pills and put the powder over their feed. It did help my older chicken--but it was about the end of her laying days when they cannot make a shell any longer.

One to two tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. Also save the shells from your eggs and dry them crush them -- I put mine in the microwave for a bit to make sure they are thoroughly dry and easy to smash up.

Good luck with your hen.

 

[lazy gardener]

Studies have shown that calcium stays in the gut longer, and thus is more beneficial if it is given in larger particles. I save my shells in a bowl, and simply toss them into the run, give them a stamp with my foot, and walk away. And, no... giving egg shells to chickens in this manner WILL NOT turn them into egg eaters.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

is she getting plenty of fresh greens protein and calcium?

 

[lazy gardener]

Romaine is not likely to provide much in the way of nutrition. If she is getting chased away from the feed, that is part of the issue. Put out a separate feed station. Also, be sure they all have access to extra oyster shell. finally, give her a good quality multi vitamin. There are many appropriate ones on the market. At 4 years old, her reproductive system is likely wearing out. In that case, there's not much you can do. I would cull any older hen if and when she shows signs of not feeling well.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

try giving them supplemental calcium. You can also add scraps from your meals.

 

[Yuki]

If your hen needs calcium you shouldn't need to trick her to eat egg shells, she should just go for them. They don't look appetizing to us, but to a hen short of calcium they look delicious. We wash them lightly to break the inner lining and just let them sit to dry then crush them to pieces about 1/4 inch in diameter. Over the years the pure bred chickens we have purchased have seldom lasted more than four years. Our cross breeds have lasted much longer, but not a whole lot made it over a decade. Don't feel you have failed if this one doesn't make it. Some just don't and its really hard sometimes to pinpoint what is wrong.
Romaine is better than iceberg lettuce but only barely. Kale, collards, turnip greens are better and kale is supposed to have lots of calcium. Chickens need greens and much more than people think, but grass will do as do many weeds without paying money at the grocery store. I feed my chickens an array of greens from the garden and the yard. Here is one article.... plenty more out there. http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/02/winter-weeds-101.html I have been learning weed identification over the years to be sure which are safe. That is fun and educational as well. Greens make the yolks much deeper color and I trust my chickens to eat what they need and leave the rest. Mostly they want more.
Old dogs can learn new tricks and so I am starting to experiment with fermenting feed which I just heard about here on BYC and have been researching. You can sprout grains as well. Seems like more trouble tho....Being in the south I just plant wheat in the winter garden and harvest it with scissors...that that the doves miss.

Wow well Sunday I had crushed hey egg shell once dried into small pieces she ate allot of it I've been feeding her a bit of meal worm every night since then and on Monday a day later she laid another egg only this time the shell was thicker it didn't break I'm trying vingear to help with digestion my granddaughter parents are sending me vingar that is formulated for chickens I'll start getting kale and along with with the Roman lettuce I love in the North I might try growing some veggies just for my hens this year hopefully it will go better than last year but we got a good amount of lettuce last year I might grow kale to I will see about getting some grains to I wouldn't even get anything from the garden it would be do for them thanks for responding I'm taking all of this into mind one thing I hope over all is that all my hens live over a decade at least so they have happy a long lives my comet hen want lame or weak thank God for that caught it in time I just don't want her eggs breaking inside of her and killing her I could care less about the eggs that they produce I just care about the hens they are my kids to me so I don't care how much I have to pay or do to make them happy thanks again good luck with your beautiful hens saw all I don't have a rooster my mother won't let me get one yet in two more years after college and starting to work in a very clinic I'm getting more once again thank you!!!!!!!!

 

[Yuki]

Well she is often chased away by the hens they get a huge leaf of roman lettuce daily the head is ready to be feed to the yet and I've been giving them 16%layers pellets like always she recently I've been giving them meal worm in top of there feed they don't free range because of predators so they are in a roof covered ten by ten bog kennel witch holds there coop inside

 

[Yuki]

Hi Yuki,

Just like you, I keep my chicken houses inside a chain link dog kennel with a roof to prevent predators.

Try adding vinegar to the water for your chickens. That will help her digestive tract absorb calcium. Make sure that there is free-choice calcium for her to eat. You might also put an extra feeder in the pen if you think the other chickens are chasing her away from the feed. When I had an older chicken who couldn't make shells any longer, I gave her vinegar and some B-vitamins. You can get chicken vitamins at the store, or you can crush up B-vitamin pills and put the powder over their feed. It did help my older chicken--but it was about the end of her laying days when they cannot make a shell any longer.

One to two tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. Also save the shells from your eggs and dry them crush them -- I put mine in the microwave for a bit to make sure they are thoroughly dry and easy to smash up.

Good luck with your hen.

Thanks you guys so much for the advice there is only so much I can do because my mother keeps saying get back to the basics of only needing them pellets and plain water I've started putting oregano in the water again I'm gonna have feed her Meal worm to help her get in extra protein and hopefully once the grass starts furrowing again I'll be able to give them that I'know it's not much nutrition I'll start eating there eggs in the morning to give it to her but I'll dry them out wats the best way to dry out the egg shells and yes the eight hens I have are mine and I'm still in high school and don't have a driver's licenses even though I'm a senior I do have a job but my mother hates my adding or trying to aid my hens so I can't get oyster shells we have extra virgin olive oil not vingar is that close enough I can't wait to be able to help her thanks so much for such the helpful replies it really helps thank you so much for your guys time I appreciate it

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Yuki!

The olive oil isn't the same as vinegar in the chicken's nutrition. Look in your kitchen cupboard....most houses have vinegar, and if you don't have any, then ask your mother to pick up a bottle next time she is in the grocery!!! Vinegar is pretty cheap. The reason it helps them absorb calcium is because it is acidic.
Here is a 'science experiment'
https://www.google.com/search?q=soa.....69i57j0l5.5580j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Perhaps you could combine your chicken raising with your school work? Your mother is right that chickens shouldn't need other than pellets and plenty of water. Maybe you could talk to her about how this is important to you, and ask her for her help in taking the best care of your chicken and explaining that it is a pet, as well as livestock, and that you will be learning new things while trying your care process.
A smallish bottle of apple cider vinegar is pretty low cost. Put 1 Tablespoon in a gallon of water....and let your flock drink from that. If you cannot purchse oystershells, then be sure to give the shells from the eggs you use back to your chickens.
You can dry them out by just letting them sit for awhile. I put mine in the microwave oven on a paper plate for about 1 minute 30 seconds -- and they are easy to smash with a can -- and then I roll the can over the paper plate to make the shell pieces small.

Good luck with your chicken -- hope you can get hold of some vinegar and you can feed eggshells to your flock!

ETA - if you are not able to get vinegar, send me a PM, I might have an idea that would work for you. Remember too, that chickens do have a time when their egg laying days are over, and when their life ends as sad as that makes us feel.