Egg issues

[casportpony]

 

[austroberta]

Fiore is continuing with the soft shelled eggs laid in the late afternoon. The 'shell' actually seems to be worse (there was a small dusting of calcium on her previous eggs). I'm back to my original thought that this might be a hormonal issue and not a calcium issue.

 

[casportpony]

Does your calcium contain d3 too? If not, you could try giving some that does.

 

[austroberta]

Does your calcium contain d3 too? If not, you could try giving some that does.

It does. I'm using the calcium citrate with D3.

She did lay a soft shelled egg the day I gave her the pill, but didn't do so yesterday, or at least I couldn't see one. Should I give her another tablet? I would have thought that her eggs would not have gotten worse (absolutely nothing on this egg, but the membrane) with the 1 tablet.

 

[casportpony]

It does. I'm using the calcium citrate with D3.

She did lay a soft shelled egg the day I gave her the pill, but didn't do so yesterday, or at least I couldn't see one. Should I give her another tablet? I would have thought that her eggs would not have gotten worse (absolutely nothing on this egg, but the membrane) with the 1 tablet.

I would give her another.

 

[austroberta]

I would give her another.

Ok. She's in bed now, but I'll do it tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[austroberta]

My runner duck was having no shell egg issues towards the end of the 2019 season, which seem to be unabated with Calcium citrate supplements. Soon thereafter, thankfully she stopped laying at all and I thought that maybe her body needed a rest. Fast forward to April 2020, and she finally laid an egg...a hard shelled egg. Yippee! It was a little late (her sisters laid the first week of March), but I was happy it was hard-shelled. Her second egg was also hard shelled, but lacking in pigment. Every single egg after that has been a no shell egg or no egg. Today I also see her that she is somewhat standoffish, with a very quiet, intense look about her, as if she was in the process of detonating a bomb and needed a lot of concentration. She's parked by the water and is drinking a lot. Her appetite is not great, although she will eat worms. I"m thinking this is not a calcium issue, as I have seen her eat her oyster shell. Does anyone else have a duck that has experienced anything similar? I'm thinking something is going on with her oviduct.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you have calcium gluconate? I’d give her a ml just in case she needs to lay.

 

[austroberta]

Do you have calcium gluconate? I’d give her a ml just in case she needs to lay.

I don't. I just have the calcium carbonate powder, which she hates, and the Calcium Citrate pills. Is C. gluconate easier to absorb?

Also, this early in the game (she just started laying again) is it common for ducks to be deficient in Calcium?

 

[Isaac 0]

I don't. I just have the calcium carbonate powder, which she hates, and the Calcium Citrate pills. Is C. gluconate easier to absorb?

Also, this early in the game (she just started laying again) is it common for ducks to be deficient in Calcium?

I've never used Gluconate, but I believe it comes in a liquid so it could be administered orally or over treats, probably a lot easier to give then the powder or pills. My layers will lay some softies early in the season when they are still trying to get their "engine up and running". It should be addressed if the eggs continue to be soft shelled.