advice needed please

[egbertn0bacon]

Hi i'm new to the boards and i am thinking of keeping chickens myself, however this enquiry is not for me but a friend (who is a very stubborn woman and insists she is always right in anything she does), she started keeping chickens about 6 weeks ago, she bought 6 from a very old guy who keeps them on a large scale, i went with her to pick them up and to say that the conditions they were kept in was a disgrace is an understatement, since then she has lost one the others killed it, but here's my main problem with the situation, the ones she has remaining lay thin shelled eggs so thin that when you pick them up they break (not all of them are like this all of the time), but one lays eggs that remain soft shelled on the top bit (this is like this all of the time) i have done a little research into the causes of these problems and i am worried she is ignoring warning signs and that it is only a matter of time before something nasty occurs, the feed she is feeding is a good one so that shouldn't be the problem, she has more than enough room for them, she has never had the chickens seen by a veterinary she doesn't know if these chickens ever had any innoculations, she sells some of her eggs she says "they are fine", i have read about EDS and other things, am i worrying about nothing or does it sound like a problem that should be sorted by a professional, and if so how do i go about telling this stubborn woman to get advice? or do i keep my nose out?

 

[Alethea]

It's not surprizing, given the deplorable conditions the chickens had been in, that they are unwell. Kudos to your friend for rescuing them. The problem might be (hopefully is) something as simple as a calcium deficiency. You might suggest she give them a calcium supplement; many of us do. Either oyster shell or egg shells seem to be most common.

 

[egbertn0bacon]

Quote:
Thank you for your reply

Yes kudos to her for rescuing them from the hellhole they was in, indeed they are being kept in more favourable conditions now, however i have mentioned to her about calcium deficiency but she insists that the feed has everything they need, , like i said she is a very stubborn woman and will not listen to or heed any advice!

 

[dawg53]

There's nothing you can say or do to her that will change any given situation. She will have to learn lessons the hard way. Tell her about BYC...that's all you can say to her. Her curiosity might get the best of her. Good luck!

 

[pgpoultry]

My not-so-humble opinion is that anyone who has soft-shelled eggs, insists that their birds have a complete diet, and gets all their eaten by the chooks or trampled into the ground is STUPID.


What is she keeping them for....to exhibit just how neglectful she is AND never have any solid eggs. A call to your local humane society may be appropriate.

 

[egbertn0bacon]

Thank you for all your replies, i appreciate your time

 

[flashover1969]

If you know of any other poultry keepers in the area that you think are clean etc, take her there or get some eggs from the other chicken herders and show her how a real egg should be

Stubborn people are difficult to deal with