Chronic weak egg problem (thin shells, or no shells). How to fix??

[feathersnuggles]

Thanks SO Much for the update, Malpower! It's interesting to me about using the drug to stop her ovulation for 6 weeks, to give her system a rest. That kind of confirms the "molt fix", in a way, because most often a hen will stop laying eggs during a hard molt. Sounds like what matters is getting that rest time for the oviduct.

We get these birds and we often expect they are laying machines -- that something's wrong when they don't lay. Perhaps, when they don't lay, things are as they should be. I see so many posts: "Help! my hen stopped laying for a week now, what's WRONG?" And I, too, have been guilty of the same thoughts. This just confirms it is natural for them to stop. They need rest periods. Don't we all?

Keep us updated on the rest of her treatment and how she responds. I'm keeping notes. yeah, I'm THAT way.

 

[Malpower]

Hi feathersnuggles!

Yeah, agreed -- that molt and the time off are pretty important I would guess. I had always kind of worried that Lucy didn't take the "time out" when the other girls did and that kept running thru my mind when the shell-less eggs started turning up. I'm very happy to be able to give her some rest time and I hope it works. I'm anxious for them to get over here with that injection cuz with the added calcium input from the syrup, I'm afraid she'll just get to work and lay more eggs or try. She's looking a bit stunned and not her usual boisterous, perky self this morning.

Boy do I agree -- if we were pushing out monstrously large eggs, or even regular ones, nearly everyday with no stop and constantly depleting our calcium reserves -- I dare say we'd be pretty done in!

I'm keeping notes too!

Kerry

Edit Update: That injection last night was also calcium

Edit Update #2: She now has had the Lupron injection -- an added piece of info is that her low weight could be due to the fact that she was losing calcium from her bones, she was giving her all to have an egg every day. What a trooper! They said she should start gaining weight again once she stops laying. She sat in the nesting box this morning, but fortunately no egg, so hope the Lupron takes affect quickly, turns off those hormones, and all goes according to plan!

 

[kayri]

Interesting fix, I hope that works for her. If she is not her usual boisterous self, it could be the lupron, my sister, the human doc, says that lupron makes humans feel bad, I think it is used in men for prostate cancer. I think a molt might fix my girl too, but she is toying with the idea of going broody, so maybe that will help as well. I don' think she will go broody for long, she's a bit too flighty, but her sister ruby the other game bird is broody and I think she is keeping her company. I hope that those eggs some out of her whole and don't break inside her. Lupron shots through my vet are about $75 each, that plus the vet visit (because chickens are considered exotic!!!) would probably be about $150. I hope she goes broody instead!!!

I wonder if I can get calcium glubionate at the drugstore. . .

 

[Malpower]

Well, I hope yours do go broody and your problem is solved. I'd hate to worry about eggs breaking inside of any of my hens -- that's a whole different problem than mine and I don't envy you worrying about that.

Anyway, Lucy actually perked up a lot after she got the Lupron shot this afternoon, so go figure. She was eating madly tonight too, so I'm real encouraged.....she did lead the little flock in to roost rather early tonight tho. But she's had two days of trauma being picked up and shot up and examined by strange men! All four have been nervous and "off" today I suppose because their leader has been that way -- tomorrow it should be more tranquil around here!

The Lupron is quite expensive, you're right -- the vet told me a human dose is probably about $900 -- a hen dose is $150, so you've got a good deal where you live at $75! For two house calls, three injections, fecal and other exams and meds (including the Lupron) my bill was $370. All in all, less expensive than any visits I made to the vet for similar stuff with my dogs in the past, not cheap, but worth it.

Could you get the Neo-Calglucon/cal. glubionate (the syrup) from your vet? It cost about $15.50. The injectable calcium gluconate which vet also injected Lucy with yesterday, I found at the feed store a week or so ago (think it's the same as what vet used) -- it's an injectable liquid for cattle, but they said to put drops of it in the hens' water. Vet told me it couldn't hurt if I wanted to continue to use it in the water but I gather the Neo-Calglucon is the more potent stuff.

Good luck with your girls!

 

[kayri]

Glad Lucy is feeling better, I hope your problems are solved. I got another shell-less egg today. Looks like the cheapest I can get calcium glubionate on the web is for about $31 (that darn shipping)! I'll check with my vet and also the local drugstore. I have a feeling it won't stop until she either goes broody or into a molt poor thing, but since she is only a year old, she may not be due until the fall.

Thank you for all of your great information.

 

[Malpower]

I hope your vet might sell it to you for less -- shipping really can often cost more than the item you're buying for some things and that's rather shocking!!

Well, Lucy might be feeling better, but she or someone just dropped a shell-less clear "sack" with yolk in it on the path -- I'm assuming it's Lucy still trying to lay something. But the other girls are acting weird -- everyone is afraid of me suddenly and they're not acting like themselves in other ways. AND, worst of all, Baby my Brahma definitely wants to go broody and after laying an egg this morning, wouldn't leave the nesting box (sat there for hours on that egg and one wooden one), once I hauled her out of there and closed the door to the coop, she's been trying to get me to let her back in -- she's so desperate that she'll come up to me and "beg" vocally -- she's usually quite shy and keeps a distance. She did this last summer, when she was about 10 months old and it was a real nightmare cuz she wasn't coming out at all, wasn't eating (there were no eggs to sit on, tho she had started on a wooden egg), and I'd lift her in the nesting box out every day once the others laid and then close the coop door -- finally took the good advice given on BYC to get a broody cage -- think it's coming out of storage tomorrow. Would be great if I wanted chicks and wanted to get some fertile eggs to put under her, but I only have room for the 4 girls. Anyway, I'm now wondering if Lucy's problems and the Lupron messing with her hormones is somehow getting transmitted to the other girls, cuz quite honestly they're nervous, skittish, and not going through their usual daily routines. Oh gosh, what next!!!!

 

[kayri]

I have to say that since my experience with my black- sex link who never went broody and laid a jumbo egg every day until she became an internal layer, probably because of scarring on her ovaries, I don't mind if they go broody, as long as they are eating and drinking enough. I think it also gives their systems a break.

Maybe something happened in the coop that you don't know about? hawk attack? fox sniffing around? neighborhood dog barking at them that upset them? One never knows. . .

Got another shell-less egg today sigh. . .

 

[HarryBun12]

My little RIR bantam was laying shell-less eggs last summer into fall. She went through her molt late fall, took the winter off then became an egg-laying dynamo in spring. (eggs with real honest to goodness shells) Seems to me there is a way to force a molt, but can't remember it right now. This hen keeps going broody, though so now she's taking TOO much time off! Such drama in the hen house with a crabby broody hen and trying to introduce two new pullets to the flock. Hope your hen gets her innards working again. Such a joy when all's going well and such a worry when it's not. All for a few eggs and a bit of entertainment. Still worth it.

 

[Malpower]

Quote:
Boy, ain't that the truth!!

Things are a bit more in synch here today -- no shell-less eggs found anywhere and that's nice for a change. Sorry you're still getting some Kayri!

Lucy seems good and I don't think she's even tried to lay an egg and thank goodness for that -- I worry about the prolapse getting a chance to heal up (fingers crossed). The other girls are much more settled too, only one laid today -- Baby who seemed determined yesterday to go broody and even slept in the nesting box last night, came dashing out of the coop an hour after the others this morning, and has been acting like her old self again -- lost interest in that nesting box for today anyway, and went up to roost with the others awhile ago. I truly wouldn't mind if she went broody to her heart's content, but since she wouldn't eat or drink when it happened last year, and for 21 days I hauled her out of the coop every afternoon to make sure she did eat and drink, before finally using the broody cage, I resolved not to let it go on for long next time it happened and to get her into the broody cage quickly. She must have read my mind!

Maybe something happened in the coop that you don't know about? hawk attack? fox sniffing around? neighborhood dog barking at them that upset them? One never knows. . .

Yesterday's wackiness gone and they seemed to consider me a friend again today and didn't run at the sight of me. So weird -- I think it's hormones or maybe picking up on Lucy's upset! Only "disturbance" around here was the two visits from vet on Thurs and Fri and that should have only upset Lucy. Sensitive little things! We have fences and enclosure with netting roof, and they're quite well protected from most anything during the day, locked in at night when the raccoons, skunks and owls are out.

I'm hoping that the Lupron injection Lucy got will not only stop her from ovulating for some weeks, but vet said it could possibly make her molt, and that would probably be a good thing too since she's never had a molt. As already mentioned, the other three molted last fall/winter and took two or three months off laying which was good, while Lucy kept putting out daily jumbo-sized eggs. Molting IS a good thing, I agree!

I hope tomorrow is as nice as today was here -- and I hope things sort themselves out for the rest of you! All this worry is exhausting, isn't it!!​

 

[feathersnuggles]

Interesting updates everyone. Thanks so much! I hope Lucy molts and gets her oviduct maintenance done. fingers crossed. Kayri I hope your soft shell girl gets some rest. I just think, right now, all you can do is support her with extra calcium feedings and keep her non-protein, non-calcium treats to a minimum, in order not to dilute the calcium she DOES consume.

I've been reviewing my notes. Right now, my hen, with the shell-less egg problem, has been laying good shells since the middle of June. She lays approx. 1 every 2 days. Her shell-less problems began the last weeks of March; she had a "wave", lasting about 2 weeks, of progressively uglier and uglier eggshells, covered with calcium beads & warts. Then she started laying membrane eggs, a couple per day laid from the roost and nearly anywhere. She stopped laying for almost a week, during that time. That pattern went on, with breaks inbetween for the laying of more ugly calcium-warted eggs. By May she was still laying, but with big breaks inbetween when she would stop for days. Her eggshells were sometimes good, sometimes warty, sometimes soft and membrane. By June, she had begun more consistently laying good shells again. In mid-June she laid a really weak shell, that broke when I picked it up. The next day she didn't lay an egg. The following day she laid a soft-shell membrane egg in the nest, which broke. She stopped laying for 2 days. After that, she's laid good shells. I mean, strong smooth shells, each time she lays, which is approx. 1 every 2 days.

Knock on wood.

Something that intrigues me is that production hens seem to have a higher incidence this problem. Mine is a "mutt", she's a mix from a local barnyard. So we don't know exactly what she is, but I am inclined to think her mother was their black sex-link. I wonder if, in the breeding for such high "productivity", they are creating these ovarian problems in relatively young layers.