Australians - Where are you all????

[Anniebee]

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

A brilliant idea that - cooking it all up and mashing the heck out of the eggs, so they are no recognisable ( to the chooks ). Must remember to try this suggestion. Good one Teila.

Cheers .....

 

[Anniebee]

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

@ Squzzi .... I agree with My Haven to a degree. Am wondering what you are feeding them ? Well fed ( with properly balanced high quality chicken feed ) should promote good laying - 5 to 6 eggs a week per chicken etc. ( unless they are moulting - then there's usually nothing ). Maybe the rooster is particularly bothering them ... you might try to separate the Australorps away from the rooster for a while and see what happens. If they are only free ranging, picking up what they can - then they wouldn't be getting the correct amount of goodies they need to make eggs. Yet you say no other problems with your other fowls. An odd situation for sure. According to my 'chicken bible' ( LOL ) they are only moderate layers. Good as table birds - they are generally a very large bird. Try letting them be together without being pestered by the roo, and feed them some good quality commercial chicken 'layer' feed. I have found my chickens to be so very different from one another - nothing would surprise me as to their specific traits and foibles. Good luck in encouraging them to lay better for you. Cheers ....

 

[Anniebee]

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

@ Squzzi .... I agree with My Haven to a degree. Am wondering what you are feeding them ? Well fed ( with properly balanced high quality chicken feed ) should promote good laying - 5 to 6 eggs a week per chicken etc. ( unless they are moulting - then there's usually nothing ). Maybe the rooster is particularly bothering them ... you might try to separate the Australorps away from the rooster for a while and see what happens. If they are only free ranging, picking up what they can - then they wouldn't be getting the correct amount of goodies they need to make eggs. Yet you say no other problems with your other fowls. An odd situation for sure. According to my 'chicken bible' ( LOL ) Austrlorps are only moderate layers. Good as table birds - they are generally a very large bird. Try letting them be together without being pestered by the roo, and feed them some good quality commercial chicken 'layer' feed. I have found my chickens to be so very different from one another - nothing would surprise me as to their specific traits and foibles. Good luck in encouraging them to lay better for you. Cheers ...

 

[Anniebee]

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?

Hi MyHaven ... the baking of shells I found on another thread here - American. So maybe they have to do it more than we might for various reasons. AND I guess it would depend on how quickly you clean / wash out the inside of the shell, and then crush it up. I have never given my girls any of their own shells - but another lass here had a brilliant idea - hard boil the whole egg, mash it ALL up, so's it looks nothing like anything the chickens would recognise, and all possibilities are covered. Plus they get the goodness of hard boiled whole egg. I am going to do that myself. Great for protein too.

Which brings me to my experience with my one Barnevelder ( in response to your question ). She laid beautifully during the summer and early autumn, and then suddenly stopped. She is very pale combed compared to the other two who are still laying, but she's happy enough it seems ... although very quiet compared to what she used to be. It is Winter of course, and I have noticed she is definitely moulting, but not quite as much as my Araucana. I rather think she might be deplete in protein, so I give her a once weekly small plate of cooked mince or a bone to pick on ( by herself so the other gormandisers don't get it ) ... plus some grated cheese - but they all get that. She eats well, is interested enough in everything going on - but sets herself apart from the two laying chooks. She perches by herself too. I am waiting to see what Spring brings with Milly Barnevelder. She is a size between Bantam and Standard. She seeks sunlight whenever possible and sun-bathes. The others don't bother. My little Araucana is moulting heavily, is not eating as much as she did ( which is apparently normal during moult ), but otherwise is in great and active fettle. Good luck with your Barnevelders - they are beautiful chickens.


Cheers .....

 

[MyHaven]

A brilliant idea that - cooking it all up and mashing the heck out of the eggs, so they are no recognisable ( to the chooks ).    Must remember to try this suggestion.   Good one Teila. 

Cheers .....

Mr Grandmother always gave whole mashed eggs that way to young chicks and any ailing or orphaned bird or animal. Calves, wild birds etc. she lived in the bush in settling Australia days. She said an egg was as good as a tonic. It always helped and never hurt.

 

[MyHaven]

Hi MyHaven ... the baking of shells I found on another thread here - American. So maybe they have to do it more than we might for various reasons. AND I guess it would depend on how quickly you clean / wash out the inside of the shell, and then crush it up. I have never given my girls any of their own shells - but another lass here had a brilliant idea - hard boil the whole egg, mash it ALL up, so's it looks nothing like anything the chickens would recognise, and all possibilities are covered. Plus they get the goodness of hard boiled whole egg. I am going to do that myself. Great for protein too. Which brings me to my experience with my one Barnevelder ( in response to your question ). She laid beautifully during the summer and early autumn, and then suddenly stopped. She is very pale combed compared to the other two who are still laying, but she's happy enough it seems ... although very quiet compared to what she used to be. It is Winter of course, and I have noticed she is definitely moulting, but not quite as much as my Araucana. I rather think she might be deplete in protein, so I give her a once weekly small plate of cooked mince or a bone to pick on ( by herself so the other gormandisers don't get it ) ... plus some grated cheese - but they all get that. She eats well, is interested enough in everything going on - but sets herself apart from the two laying chooks. She perches by herself too. I am waiting to see what Spring brings with Milly Barnevelder. She is a size between Bantam and Standard. She seeks sunlight whenever possible and sun-bathes. The others don't bother. My little Araucana is moulting heavily, is not eating as much as she did ( which is apparently normal during moult ), but otherwise is in great and active fettle. Good luck with your Barnevelders - they are beautiful chickens. l Cheers .....

Thanks for your reply. It is very strange about Squzzi's Australorps. They are such lovely chooks and mine have kept laying through winter. It is their first year though and they were slow to start. Now I feel slack. I don't wash out my shells before I give them back. I like to give them the goodness of what is left In the shell. I do give them back quickly though. I confess I hadn't thought about bacteria. But I've been doing it the same as my mum, and same as my grandmother etc and not known any problem. I will look into it more. I can't keep all my Barnevelders sadly. It sounds like yours is moulting slowly. I read on a State Gov website (while I was searching how I could vaccinate my chicks) about slow moulting birds. The site said it reflected how good of layers they are. The faster the moult the better layers. Which doesn't sound consistent with your girl if she was laying beautifully. What you're doing sounds good. Someone I know gives them socked kibble for a boost of protein. The best I've seen is soy meal but I've only used it this season. My produce gave me some soy meal to add to the girls mash when they were slow to start. 1 tsp for six chooks. Their combs and wattles went from small and pink to blooming and ruby red in 3days. It is natural. I blame the mash they were on for being too low in protein and the crumble in it was too dry because the maker changed it to suit the auto feeders. The crumble turned to dust at the bottom of the hopper. I'd like an Araucana too, I love having a pallet of colour in my egg basket. Blue would be a nice addition. My Silkie just came off being clucky. I'll get some white again. Yay.

 

[Teila]

MyHaven .. good news about your Silkie

 

[Teila]

I posted this in the 'Feed' forum a while ago but thought I would try you guys and gals also as I have seen some good tips in this forum....

My Girls Won't Eat Their Vegies!
I have 2 x banties coming up to 5 months old. I purchase layer mash, layer pellets (bantam sized) and shell grit that I mix together and they love that. They love meat and eat hamburgers, sausages, steak, ham, chicken, bacon, roast beef, fish etc etc; they love egg (boiled and mash, shell included) but I can not get them to eat their vegies. I have tried chopped lettuce, tomato, green beans, cooked broccolli and cooked potatoes. Today, I put a small amount of watermelon in their run and their scared of it .. they ran away from it and I don't hold out much hope of them pecking at it! They free range in the garden for an hour a day and heaps more on the weekends when they mow their way through grass and weeds.

I got one reply to my post which was to mash the vegies in with the food they love which I was a little reluctant to try because I had a feeling they would then not eat it.
I gave it a go, mixed up broccolli and potato with roast beef (Sunday roast) and they didn't touch it. I know they would have eaten the roast beef on it's own. I gave lettuce another try yesterday, not interested.

Do I need to worry that they are not eating their vegies?
Is the grass they get probably enough?
Any tips on how to get them to eat their vegies?

Edit/PS: I forgot to mention that I have also tried cooking up some peas and corn .. again, not interested.

 

[redfeather13]

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?

thank you MyHaven for reply and the other link
I haven't seen a papery thin eggshell for years either and then only 1.
Both girls went into moult at end of summer then one came back on the lay and doing well - 1 egg most days - strong shell
The other one has been laying an egg about every 3 days, all with thin papery shells that break/tear in the nest.
And yes I am at a loss too

 

[redfeather13]

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

I have a friend who has 3 hens - 1 Indian Game???? - she's a long legged thing but lays well
the other two are RIR bantams - one of them has Never laid! They're fed well and free range most days.