*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[Wyorp Rock]

My hen just started laying at 21 weeks !! So happy !!!

Congratulations!

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I recommend never switching to layer, especially when your birds are under a year of age, or if you feed anything extra, unless your layer is at least 18% protein. The 16% in layer is the minimum requirement for a mature hen to lay eggs and not become fat. It's meant to be fed as the sole ration. It is lower in protein and higher in calcium. The extra calcium needs can be met with free choice oyster shells. Orpingtons are a breed that continues to grow and fill out for about 2 years of age, so switching to a lower protein feed when they are still growing and now producing eggs can make them deficit and cause lower production.

I agree with this if you keep a mixed flock. We feed flick raiser with dree feed oyster shell to the side however if you only have laying hens I recommend the laying feed. We recently had a chicken start laying soft shelled eggs then she started laying internally. She just wouldn't eat the oyster shells for some reason. She passes away yesterday. It was really hard because she was a favorite. I would feed layer if you can amd just offer a treat with more protein.

Posting here first, let me know if I should also post in Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures forum. One of my 10 month old Buff Orpingtons appears a bit 'under the weather'. Symptoms first appeared on Sunday: - pale comb - generally slow to move about, lethargic almost Yesterday I notice she is not able to produce the usual [COLOR=222222]cluck, cluck, cluck, CLUCKAAAAAWWWWK! sound. Did not lay an egg since Sunday but does not appear to be egg bound (walks normally but generally slow if she decided to move). [/COLOR] Here are the few pics from today: (compared to her healthy pal in the background) (on her own) Remedies taken yesterday: - dust bath in diatomaceous earth - garlic cloves added to the waterer Not sure what else to do at this point but to observe. Thanks for any pointers.

Is it hot where you live? One of our hens did this because she was dehydrated. Also gross but watch her poop. Chicken poop is your friend when illness occurs. If bloody start corid right away and isolate. If foamy it's most likely worms. Keep an eye on nose and eyes. Runny or goopy. Could be bacterial. If viral you just have to wait it out. If bacterial you can purchase antibiotics from tractor supply. For me a chicken that acts sick and a pears fine in all other ways has shown to improve with corid. That's how coccidiosis works. One sec they seem fine and the next....

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I agree with this if you keep a mixed flock. We feed flick raiser with dree feed oyster shell to the side however if you only have laying hens I recommend the laying feed. We recently had a chicken start laying soft shelled eggs then she started laying internally. She just wouldn't eat the oyster shells for some reason. She passes away yesterday. It was really hard because she was a favorite. I would feed layer if you can amd just offer a treat with more protein.
Is it hot where you live? One of our hens did this because she was dehydrated. Also gross but watch her poop. Chicken poop is your friend when illness occurs. If bloody start corid right away and isolate. If foamy it's most likely worms. Keep an eye on nose and eyes. Runny or goopy. Could be bacterial. If viral you just have to wait it out. If bacterial you can purchase antibiotics from tractor supply. For me a chicken that acts sick and a pears fine in all other ways has shown to improve with corid. That's how coccidiosis works. One sec they seem fine and the next....

Also sorry for all the misspellings. I'm to lazy to edit lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree with this if you keep a mixed flock. We feed flick raiser with dree feed oyster shell to the side however if you only have laying hens I recommend the laying feed. We recently had a chicken start laying soft shelled eggs then she started laying internally. She just wouldn't eat the oyster shells for some reason. She passes away yesterday. It was really hard because she was a favorite. I would feed layer if you can amd just offer a treat with more protein.
Is it hot where you live? One of our hens did this because she was dehydrated. Also gross but watch her poop. Chicken poop is your friend when illness occurs. If bloody start corid right away and isolate. If foamy it's most likely worms. Keep an eye on nose and eyes. Runny or goopy. Could be bacterial. If viral you just have to wait it out. If bacterial you can purchase antibiotics from tractor supply. For me a chicken that acts sick and a pears fine in all other ways has shown to improve with corid. That's how coccidiosis works. One sec they seem fine and the next....

Soft shelled eggs don't usually have anything to do with calcium intake. They are laid when hens are stressed, so feeding layer won't help. I have seen more shell quality problems on layer, I don't have any anymore. Internal laying can be caused by a hen being fat, or even old age.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Soft shelled eggs don't usually have anything to do with calcium intake. They are laid when hens are stressed, so feeding layer won't help. I have seen more shell quality problems on layer, I don't have any anymore. Internal laying can be caused by a hen being fat, or even old age.

Our hen wasn't fat but was older. Sweetest girl ever. No reason for her to be stressed. Her eggs always looked funny. We got her as an older hen. She always had bumpy eggs..

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Our hen wasn't fat but was older. Sweetest girl ever. No reason for her to be stressed. Her eggs always looked funny. We got her as an older hen. She always had bumpy eggs..

You mention she was older when you got her and she always laid "funny eggs".
There can be numerous causes for this, genetic disorder, damage to the oviduct, illness, bacterial infection, vitamin/nutritional deficiency, age, breed, etc.

While lack of calcium/ vitamins in the diet can cause soft shell eggs, I would suspect underlying illness - like Infectious Bronchitis, Mycoplasma or similar diseases are the major cause of internal laying/reproductive issues. I haven't kept any "records", but have been thinking about starting - when helping in the forums, it seems like age, breed and former illness are some of the similarities that I see. Since you got your hen when she was older, she could have been either exposed or had some type of illness when she was young. Some people dismiss symptoms as a "cold", but in reality, these illnesses have long term effects on egg production and the health of the chicken.

Just my thoughts.

 

[elaineinspain]

My hen just started laying at 21 weeks !! So happy !!!

wow! congratulations! My hens are 28 weeks and still no eggs, no submissive squats, nothing... But there's no hurrying these things...

 

[Birdlover 13]

We're getting our first chickens this week!!!!!

3 11-week old Buffs on Thursady and I just can't wait!

 

[CuzChickens]

We're getting our first chickens this week!!!!! 3 11-week old Buffs on Thursady and I just can't wait!

YAYYY!!!!!!!!!! Be sure to post pics of them!

 

[Birdlover 13]

I definitely will