- Aug 1, 2009
- 2
- 0
- 7
Hello Fellow Chicken Enthusiasts,
I live in Victoria BC where we are fortunate not to have any by-laws prohibiting urban chickens. I have a small property, about a 5th of an acre, on which I have build a chicken coup and run. I bought 12 red rock/plymouth red cross chicks on Easter weekend this year. I have been feeding the chicks (chickens now) crumble and scratch for 17 weeks plus weeds and grass clippings from the yard.
On the 17th week to the day I found my first egg. It was a perfect brown egg with a thick healthy shell. It was a bit small but I am assuming the eggs will get bigger as the chickens mature. At the end of the 18th week I had found 4 eggs in total, all from the same bird I think. So far in my 19th week I have found two eggs but neither of them have had any shell, just a transparent membrane.
I had read that the first couple of eggs a hen lays can often be mal-formed. I believe that I only have one bird laying right now so it seems odd that she would start out with good eggs and then start laying mal-formed eggs.
I have also read that the birds often need a calcium supplement like oyster shell to maintain good egg shells. She had only laid 4 eggs before the no-shell eggs started so I did not expect the shells to degrade so rapidly or drastically.
I am hoping that you chicken experts out there have some sage advice or comforting words for me.
Thanks
Paul
I live in Victoria BC where we are fortunate not to have any by-laws prohibiting urban chickens. I have a small property, about a 5th of an acre, on which I have build a chicken coup and run. I bought 12 red rock/plymouth red cross chicks on Easter weekend this year. I have been feeding the chicks (chickens now) crumble and scratch for 17 weeks plus weeds and grass clippings from the yard.
On the 17th week to the day I found my first egg. It was a perfect brown egg with a thick healthy shell. It was a bit small but I am assuming the eggs will get bigger as the chickens mature. At the end of the 18th week I had found 4 eggs in total, all from the same bird I think. So far in my 19th week I have found two eggs but neither of them have had any shell, just a transparent membrane.
I had read that the first couple of eggs a hen lays can often be mal-formed. I believe that I only have one bird laying right now so it seems odd that she would start out with good eggs and then start laying mal-formed eggs.
I have also read that the birds often need a calcium supplement like oyster shell to maintain good egg shells. She had only laid 4 eggs before the no-shell eggs started so I did not expect the shells to degrade so rapidly or drastically.
I am hoping that you chicken experts out there have some sage advice or comforting words for me.
Thanks
Paul
