Australians - Where are you all????

[SQUZZI]

Hi! have Australorps 4-females, 1 rooster, 3yrs old agv 12 eggs ea per year? 92% hatching! no trouble with my other fowls??? Regards squzzi

 

[tillyita]

hi everyone, a question for those more experienced than I.
Of my 5 hens only two are laying at the moment (the two youngest, of course) -
the problem is that although one is back to laying well - 1 egg most days, the second one is laying occasionally
and her eggs have very soft shells which split, before I collect them. The shell is like a papery casing.
I remove this as soon as I see it.
I've had only one egg from her that had a shell firm enough to hold, but the shell was fragile all the same.
All my hens roost and free range together and get fed together so I don't know what is causing the difference in
the eggs of the two chooks
By the way, they are the same age.

thanks in advance

Soft eggs are generally a sign of low or lack of calcium in the diet, but not always! In order to obsorb calcium the animal also needs high levels of folate and vitamin D. Which is why soft eggs are often a problem at this time of year in Australia - greens are only just starting to come through in any quantity (and by greens I mean good quality greens - not high oxalate greens like kikuya) and sunlight hours are at a mininum.

To improve the quality of the egg shells - add calcium carbonate to the area where they eat (either in the form of shell grit or as crushed limestone), they will peck it up with their food. Add sprouts of any sort (alfalfa and/or bean/pea sprouts are particularly good as they are also high in protein) and maximize the amount of time they spend outside (in the sun) during the day - as this will increase the amount of vitamin D to help convert the calcium into a usable form.

 

[Anniebee]

Thought I would say hi - am new to BYC, and quite new to keeping chickens. I have 2 Australorps and one Isa Brown. I'm in Australia - live in Melbourne. Just one question for other Melbourne people - when it's frosty (like this morning) are the chickens ok? Do they need any additional heating?

I live in the Dandenong Ranges and it gets darned cold up here for sure. below zero this morning. I cover my 4 chickens up to the best of my ability after they've gone to bed, mainly with tarps fixed on with pegs to the wire - with a small area that's open for ventilation.

I read on an American thread here, that chickens much prefer cold to heat - and judging by last summer and their panting distress I would have to agree. 3 of my 4 perch, but don't snuggle against one another. I believe they can fluff their under feathering up, to keep warm - and frankly I think they love the colder days. Wet is not too good - they don't like that much, and retire to their coop to stay dry ( except for one who seems to love being soaked ). I bring her into the laundry and dry her off a bit, and keep her shut up if it is raining or if I can catch her in time.

So I would think there is no reason for extra heating in their coops. But of course, others might not agree with me.

IF however, you ever get a Silkie, then that's a different story. Personally, if I had any more Silkies ( lost the only one I had, over summer to infection ) ... I would keep them in a small coop indoors for warmth and out of the rain etc., and let them out only on the sunniest of dry days ( any time of year ) for a scratch around. They can get drenched to the skin through those fluffy "feathers", and that's what causes big problems. Standard chooks have feathers that the water mainly drains off, a bit like ducks. Unless they are like my Mindy who apparently WANTS to be saturated if she can manage it !! Good luck with your brood and I hope you get a good lot of eggs, particularly come Spring time.

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

yes definitely agree with giving them their eggs back. weak eggshells mean they're not getting enough calcium - just because they're in the same environment, doesn't mean they all eat the same - i mix a little bit of shell grit in with their food as well as some of them are better at pecking the egg shells than others

If you are going to give your chickens their own eggs shells back - they should be 'baked' for a good while in the oven to kill off any nasties that can accumulate after they've been broken open for your use, and left aside. After they cool down, grind them up into the smallest of bits - using a mortar and pestle and give to them in with their food or in a separate bowl. They will eat what they need. I have read that if larger pieces of their own shells are given, they might well begin to think the eggs they lay are for the taking as well - and start pecking at them to eat, which is not something that can be stopped easily, once started.


I keep two 'dummy' eggs in with my chickens at all times, and they have never had a go at eating their own eggs except on one occasion when one egg was laid with a very soft shell and stood on or broken. I feed my chickens Barastoc's Golden Yolk layer pellets - and that has a lot of calcium in it which is needed. I also feed them as much greenery as possible during the winter months ( mostly silver beet which I buy, and grass which I pick from the front garden ) - mainly to keep them from being bored and irritable because their run is dirt or mud with nothing much in it. They get plenty of grit for their crops from the ground. So far - the two hens who are still laying even though it's winter, still produce extremely hard shelled eggs. My other two chickens are moulting heavily and have stopped laying for the moment. I am getting about 10 eggs a week from my two faithful and hard working layers ( a Welsummer and a Rhode Island Red ). The chooks who are moulting are an Araucana ( bantam ) and a Barnevelder ( between bantam and standard size ).

Cheers ....

 

[MyHaven]

If you are going to give your chickens their own eggs shells back - they should be 'baked' for a good while in the oven to kill off any nasties that can accumulate after they've been broken open for your use, and left aside.   After they cool down,  grind them up into the smallest of bits  - using a mortar and pestle and give to them in with their food or in a separate bowl.  They will eat what they need.     I have read that if larger pieces of their own shells are given, they might well begin to think the eggs they lay are for the taking as well - and start pecking at them to eat, which is not something that can be stopped easily, once started.  


I keep two 'dummy' eggs in with my chickens at all times, and they have never had a go at eating their own eggs except on one occasion when one egg was laid with a very soft shell and stood on or broken.   I feed my chickens Barastoc's Golden Yolk layer pellets - and that has a lot of calcium in it which is needed.   I also feed them as much greenery as possible during the winter months ( mostly silver beet which I buy, and grass which I pick from the front garden ) - mainly to keep them from being bored and irritable because their run is dirt or mud with nothing much in it.   They get plenty of grit for their crops from the ground.   So far - the two hens who are still laying even though it's winter, still produce extremely hard shelled eggs.   My other two chickens are moulting heavily and have stopped laying for the moment.     I am getting about 10 eggs a week from my two faithful and hard working layers ( a Welsummer and a Rhode Island Red ).   The chooks who are moulting are an Araucana ( bantam )  and a Barnevelder ( between bantam and standard size ).   

Cheers .... 

Hi Anniebee, I've not heard about baking the shells. I've never had any trouble either in many years. Yes I definitely agree with breaking them up into small pieces so they can't be recognised.

I want a Welsummer and it is good to hear they are hard working layers. I have five Barnevelder chicks I hatched under a clucky. I'm waiting to see how many roosters I have (2 I think). How do you find yours?

 

[redfeather13]

Do you give them shell grit or their shells back? I noticed in the new posts on the home page one about improving the quality of the shells. I'd start there if I was you. Sry I don't know how to put in a link from my mobile.
Cheers

hello MyHaven, thanks for reply -

yes they do get shell grit - it's mixed in with their organic feed and they roam around their yard all day. I will try drying and crushing some of their own shells and give back to them.
What i don't understand is why from two hens, same age, same conditions, one is producing eggs with strong shells and the other is producing papery shells??

 

[redfeather13]

Soft eggs are generally a sign of low or lack of calcium in the diet, but not always! In order to obsorb calcium the animal also needs high levels of folate and vitamin D. Which is why soft eggs are often a problem at this time of year in Australia - greens are only just starting to come through in any quantity (and by greens I mean good quality greens - not high oxalate greens like kikuya) and sunlight hours are at a mininum.

To improve the quality of the egg shells - add calcium carbonate to the area where they eat (either in the form of shell grit or as crushed limestone), they will peck it up with their food. Add sprouts of any sort (alfalfa and/or bean/pea sprouts are particularly good as they are also high in protein) and maximize the amount of time they spend outside (in the sun) during the day - as this will increase the amount of vitamin D to help convert the calcium into a usable form.

thanks tillyita

my hens are in a large area, too big for them to deal with all the grass, but I take your point about the quality of the grass - that I'm not sure of.
They also have access to all the sun that shines on any given day, although over the past 6 -8 months, we've had a lot of cloud and rain.
I'll try the sprouts. I've had chooks for a number of years and not had this problem before, so appreciate all the suggestions I'm getting.

 

[Teila]

Howdy .. on the calcium/feeding back the shell subject. My two girls have shell grit mixed into their lay mash also but once or twice a week, rather than baking the shells, I just boil the whole egg, mash it up (shell and all) and feed it back to them; they love it and it looks nothing like an egg

 

[MyHaven]

hello MyHaven, thanks for reply -

yes they do get shell grit - it's mixed in with their organic feed and they roam around their yard all day. I will try drying and crushing some of their own shells and give back to them. What i don't understand is why from two hens, same age, same conditions, one is producing eggs with strong shells and the other is producing papery shells??

It could just be a genetic thing and not environmental. Even sisters of any species aren't going to produce the same. I haven't seen a papery thin egg shell for many years and that came from an old chook. Maybe one has a problem absorbing calcium. I found this website on another post which might help http://www.avianweb.com/eggproblems.html but if you are feeding and housing them well and letting them free range As you describe I am at a loss. Maybe soy meal for more protein as well as calcium. You say 1 is back laying well? What do you mean, did they stop? And you say the one with the soft shells is laying occasionally. How often is that?

 

[MyHaven]

Hi! have Australorps 4-females, 1 rooster, 3yrs old agv 12 eggs ea per year? 92% hatching!  no trouble with my other fowls??? Regards squzzi

 

I wouldn't call that poor laying I'd call it not laying. Must be duds. One reason I like them is they lay (for me) longer than 3yrs like the hybrids. Mine are great. I'd never be without a couple. Maybe you should threaten yours with the pot