bestieandsam
Hatching
- Sep 21, 2022
- 2
- 0
- 7
Hi friends --
We have four laying hens, about 1.5 yrs old, sleeping in a coop about 64 sq ft total, and roaming in a run that's probably about 75x20 ft during the day, with two nesting boxes. They have free access to Purina layer pellets as well as crushed oyster shell in a separate dish at all times. We've been supplementing their water with a poultry multivitamin since this problem started. We get about 4 eggs a day right now.
Our Rhode island white has been laying what are either mildly body checked eggs, or just eggs that narrow halfway and are a little narrower at the top, almost like someone took the bottom half of a bigger egg and attached it seamlessly to the top half of a slightly smaller egg. (I attached pictures but I don't know if it will be very visible.) They are also very thin shelled, and often her eggs are broken in the nesting box. She seems otherwise healthy, and does not seem to be bullied (although we have found her trying to sleep in the nesting box a couple times).
It may be worth noting that this bird (our baby) was lethargic and not eating after we brought her home as a newly hatched chick. We hand fed and supplemented her around the clock for probably 4 weeks until she was able to self feed reliably and was exhibiting some growth. I wondered if this could be related? But we did not have egg quality issues with her until about April. Our local ag extension suggested infectious bronchitis but that was months ago and it's never resolved. We also wondered if she had a crop emptying problem but we have not reliably seen that her crop is full in the mornings. We have put a crop bra on her though, just in case, to head off worse problems. I have noticed our light brahma lay two eggs that are similarly shaped in recent weeks, though they don't appear thin shelled.
Any thoughts? I don't mind too much the egg quality. I just want to make sure there's not something we need to be doing for her health, and we are in an area where vets who see poultry only treat large flocks. Sorry for all the extra info, and thanks for reading if you got this far!
We have four laying hens, about 1.5 yrs old, sleeping in a coop about 64 sq ft total, and roaming in a run that's probably about 75x20 ft during the day, with two nesting boxes. They have free access to Purina layer pellets as well as crushed oyster shell in a separate dish at all times. We've been supplementing their water with a poultry multivitamin since this problem started. We get about 4 eggs a day right now.
Our Rhode island white has been laying what are either mildly body checked eggs, or just eggs that narrow halfway and are a little narrower at the top, almost like someone took the bottom half of a bigger egg and attached it seamlessly to the top half of a slightly smaller egg. (I attached pictures but I don't know if it will be very visible.) They are also very thin shelled, and often her eggs are broken in the nesting box. She seems otherwise healthy, and does not seem to be bullied (although we have found her trying to sleep in the nesting box a couple times).
It may be worth noting that this bird (our baby) was lethargic and not eating after we brought her home as a newly hatched chick. We hand fed and supplemented her around the clock for probably 4 weeks until she was able to self feed reliably and was exhibiting some growth. I wondered if this could be related? But we did not have egg quality issues with her until about April. Our local ag extension suggested infectious bronchitis but that was months ago and it's never resolved. We also wondered if she had a crop emptying problem but we have not reliably seen that her crop is full in the mornings. We have put a crop bra on her though, just in case, to head off worse problems. I have noticed our light brahma lay two eggs that are similarly shaped in recent weeks, though they don't appear thin shelled.
Any thoughts? I don't mind too much the egg quality. I just want to make sure there's not something we need to be doing for her health, and we are in an area where vets who see poultry only treat large flocks. Sorry for all the extra info, and thanks for reading if you got this far!
