Calcium Dosing for Oops Egg Advice Needed

[BonnieBlue]

One of my 3 year old hens, Peony, has a history of "oops eggs". Thin shelled at sometimes at an "off" time. Last year during laying season, she did this once a month, March thru May, and if she did it after that, I failed to record it in my journal. One of those times, it was two within a couple of hours of each other.

Last night she did the same thing. Right after dark she was in the nest and had a paper thin egg. I put her on her roost and cleaned up the egg. This morning while cleaning the coop, there was another, under where she roosts (the two older ones are very set in their ways about roosting, and also, since I put her there, I know it was her and not the other 3 year old).

I am going to give her calcium to try to regulate her little system. I have the Citracal Petites, 400mg tablets. Is one for three nights in a row appropriate? After that, should she have maintenance calcium supplements at regular intervals if she does this again, or should it be done now, hopefully preventatively? If so, what would the recommended frequency?

I feed all-flock feed (nutrena), and they have plenty of oyster shell supplement. I generally try to keep crushed up egg shells mixed in with it to give them two types of absorbtion rates, but after the winter egg fast, I have yet to get any mixed in.

The two older ones have just started laying again after the winter break. Each one have had one good egg in the last week, and I am hoping this is her body not being regulated as it kicks back in, not a reproductive problem. She is the head mother clucker in charge, and a benevolent ruler, so she is a really good hen for more than the eggs.

Thanks for any advice that can be given.

 

[azygous]

Your hen could benefit from five straight days of calcium therapy. But the petites are only half the 400mg that is stated on the front of the bottle. It's a mis-labeling that is perpetrated on American consumers. The front label states dosage recommendation, not calcium content. So you need to give her two of the petite tablets to equal 400mg.

Push the whole tablets into her beak each day for five days to reset her ovulation cycle and to increase her calcium levels. Often just five days of this will get her back to normal unless something else is going on in her reproductive tract.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Your hen could benefit from five straight days of calcium therapy. But the petites are only half the 400mg that is stated on the front of the bottle. It's a mis-labeling that is perpetrated on American consumers. The front label states dosage recommendation, not calcium content. So you need to give her two of the petite tablets to equal 400mg.

Push the whole tablets into her beak each day for five days to reset her ovulation cycle and to increase her calcium levels. Often just five days of this will get her back to normal unless something else is going on in her reproductive tract.

I missed that on the dosage on the back of the bottle. Thanks for the heads up.

I gave her 1 just now. I went out to check on her and she was sitting in a nesting box. I plucked her out and gave her one. Now she is in and out of boxes and whining a LOT.

I'll give her another tonight.