Eggs tasteless, odd texture, and thin shells.

[sommrluv]

I'm having issues with my flock.

The past couple months we started getting thinner eggshells, lighter yolks. There was one chicken that was REALLY aggressively picking on the other chickens and we gave her a few 2 year old chickens to a friend. In May, a chicken died with no prior symptoms, and no signs of stress.

Now last week, another chicken just dropped dead. I would say the past two weeks, our shells have been thinner, yolks lighter, and whites runny. The texture of the cooked whites is "flabby" and unpleasant in the mouth. I guess you could call it chalky, it reminds me of the white stuff in a fresh-boiled lobster (not taste, but texture)...random analogy, I know, lol.

Are the chickens just older? they are probably 2-3 years old which I did not think was "old" for a chicken. They are producing 4-6 a week for each chicken. They free range once a week, have free choice oyster shell, cold fresh water with cider vinegar available at all times.

The only problems lately have been with finches & starlings breaking into the coop and eating the feed. We've been working to eradicate them.

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Summer

 

[sommrluv]

Anyone?

 

[wayneh]

Do they have a good quality feed available. They may not be gettinng enough nutrition from freeranging.

 

[ericnash]

Do you give them crushed oysters for protein?

 

[sonew123]

I'm guessing either the Summer heat is getting to them a tad and they are not free ranging nearly enough to be able to get the sort of texture you are looking for in the eggs. Wondering about the feed to? scraps -veggies-fruits???

Oyster shells for CALCIUM-to harden shells?

 

[henney penny]

I`m having the same problem,hope we get some answers.Mine have free acess to good feed,oyster shell and free range for an hour everyday.They get sraps to.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Any signs of mites or lice? When was the last time they were wormed?

Chickens do drop dead now and then, and the summer's heat doesn't help any, but if the whole flock isn't doing well, I'd look for health and nutrition problems. Try supplementing with Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and see if that helps the protein level.

 

[Backyard Barb]

Im sorry

We had trouble with the wild birds eating the feed until I hung a bird feeder in a different part of the yard. Now the wild birds go the bird feeder and leave the feed alone.

I have no idea. We have had trouble with Egg Drop Syndrome. One bird came in with it and now 3-4 have it and one of our birds caught viral anemia but has recovered from that. Try to keep the wild birds away.

 

[epeloquin]

Tough one but I would probably be looking at the heat too. If they're too hot they won't eat right which would account for the poor eggs. Plus the heat can kill them. As I understand it, chickens can die quickly from the heat. 2 of my girls (BR) do not like the heat at all. I have a fan in their coop and sometimes I soak them in a basin of water if they're really heated up.

 

[sommrluv]

Sorry I was MIA, Thanks for getting some answers here.

To answer:

Feed -- We're currently doing a higher protein gamebird feed. It's what we fed the winter of 09-10, and we normally switch back to layer feed. When we did this year, production (on what was 10 birds at the time) went down to two eggs a day for ten days. Switched back to gamebird, and it ramped up within 48 hours. They don't eat a lot of it between kitchen scraps, free ranging, etc.

Calcium -- they get free choice oyster shell, their own shells back maybe 5 X a month, plus occassional yogurt/cottage cheese treats.

I don't think the heat is as bad as it has been, it was over 100 here for weeks last year and they were fine. Drop in production but that was it. It's been in the eighty-ish range. We have shade cloth over portions of the run, and a fan in the coop running night/day.

I was concerned last month that they might have had that Bronchitis thing, we had two wrinkly eggs, but they never appeared again so I just called it a fluke.

I have not treated them for mites in two months (I didn't see any, I just spray occassionally) and I haven't wormed them since fall (precautionary). I'm leaning more towards the wild birds causing an issue? They are starlings, finches, and something my husband calls spatzies or rat-birds. If only my terrier killed the bad birds faster...she only gets a few a week (not chickens).

I did check them for mites, couldn't see any, but there has been some feather pulling. My vet was closed for a fourth holiday, should I call him? I honestly don't want to spend $100 to take a chicken to the vet, I'm more inclined to cull, scour the coop/run and start over with new chickens.