Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

I have my doubts the problem was a calcium deficiency. Hens lay lash and shell less eggs for many reasons.
In general, if the rest of the hens here are laying eggs with decent strength shells then their diet with regard to calcium is about right. They all eat much the same stuff and their size dictates the quanitity. The same applies to protein and fat. If you've got one hen carrying too much fat then the likelihood is they all are.
The hen stores calcium in a special type of bone. These bones are primarily found in the hens legs. What usually happens when a hen is severely calcium deficient is first the shells get thinner and eventually she suffers from osteoporosis.
You can find lots of information about this on the sites that deal with commercial layers.
Once again, in general, a hen doesn't suddenly run out of calcium deposits. It takes time. A sudden change in egg shell quality is usually another problem. I've never been quite sure why whenever a hen lays a shell less egg but shows no other signs of ill health forums such as this recommend calcium supplements. Unfortunatley the science behind egg laying gets forgotton and because after the calcium increase the hens next egg seems good the tendency is to believe that a lack of calcium was the problem. If a hen cannot produce any calciuim or that little then she would have bone related illnesses. Lots of battery hens used to get osteoporosis when I worked on my uncle farm which was before more was known about diet and how the hen manages her calcium supply.

Hmmm...

 

[micstrachan]

@Shadrach what do you think about the possibility that the diet caused, or partially caused, her problem?

Edited to clarify... the weight loss diet I have them on.

I think they got fat on pasture seed I threw before I had the pullets. Also, Rusty, my first-ever chicken loss, laid a few softies and quickly developed EYP. The first vet missed it, but the second vet quickly noted she had a broken keel bone. Thoughts?

 

[LozzyR]

Yes, very! ❤ I was going to post here after I saw how the day went, but she’s doing great! I’m going to switch them back to 50/50 layer/all flock and do less fermenting. I’m not really sure how often Dorothy will need calcium supplements, since she’s not taking enough on her own. Always learning and never dull!

I do wonder if the diet I put them on was too much, since the pullets are still growing AND laying almost daily. I got so paranoid when I learned Ruby is “well insulated, like a seal” per my favorite avian vet, I didn’t think the diet through. I’ll look for a compromise.

This is a tough one. After I lost Penny to EYP I started giving the girls porridge made with milk, oats and yoghurt and sardines in oil, and rotated these for breakfast each morning. I then started putting calcium additive in the water, but the Isa eggshells were still so thin you couldn't boil the eggs without them cracking. They seemed to eat around the shell grit I put through their feed. So even with all the extra calcium, Chickie still started laying shell-less and soft-shelled eggs. I think I must have just got lucky with Lucy and she stopped laying on her own without any problems. She's probably slightly bigger than she should be (she looks pretty solid) so they're not getting any dairy anymore, and sardines once in a blue moon. I'm also experimenting with growing wheat for them as nutritious food.

But, with the added calcium, we still had problems. I am now steering clear of Isa Browns and Leghorns for this reason.

 

[RoyalChick]

Even chickens in Louisiana get to eat crawfish ... View attachment 2034070View attachment 2034071View attachment 2034072

Lucky chickens!!

 

[micstrachan]

This is a tough one. After I lost Penny to EYP I started giving the girls porridge made with milk, oats and yoghurt and sardines in oil, and rotated these for breakfast each morning. I then started putting calcium additive in the water, but the Isa eggshells were still so thin you couldn't boil the eggs without them cracking. They seemed to eat around the shell grit I put through their feed. So even with all the extra calcium, Chickie still started laying shell-less and soft-shelled eggs. I think I must have just got lucky with Lucy and she stopped laying on her own without any problems. She's probably slightly bigger than she should be (she looks pretty solid) so they're not getting any dairy anymore, and sardines once in a blue moon. I'm also experimenting with growing wheat for them as nutritious food.

But, with the added calcium, we still had problems. I am now steering clear of Isa Browns and Leghorns for this reason.

Yeah, poor Dorothy. I’ll do my best with her, but she’s probably my last high-production breed. You saw that my other (Brown) Leghorn, Margo, had chronic EYP, right? It’s such a bummer, because their personalities are awesome.

 

[BY Bob]

Even chickens in Louisiana get to eat crawfish ... View attachment 2034070View attachment 2034071View attachment 2034072

Mine would go crazy for crawfish. Your hens are very lucky!

 

[BY Bob]

Yeah, poor Dorothy. I’ll do my best with her, but she’s probably my last high-production breed. You saw that my other (Brown) Leghorn, Margo, had chronic EYP, right? It’s such a bummer, because their personalities are awesome.

I agree. They have some of the best personalities. They just kill themselves laying eggs.

 

[micstrachan]

This is a tough one. After I lost Penny to EYP I started giving the girls porridge made with milk, oats and yoghurt and sardines in oil, and rotated these for breakfast each morning. I then started putting calcium additive in the water, but the Isa eggshells were still so thin you couldn't boil the eggs without them cracking. They seemed to eat around the shell grit I put through their feed. So even with all the extra calcium, Chickie still started laying shell-less and soft-shelled eggs. I think I must have just got lucky with Lucy and she stopped laying on her own without any problems. She's probably slightly bigger than she should be (she looks pretty solid) so they're not getting any dairy anymore, and sardines once in a blue moon. I'm also experimenting with growing wheat for them as nutritious food.

But, with the added calcium, we still had problems. I am now steering clear of Isa Browns and Leghorns for this reason.

I forgot to mention, Golden Comets and Sex Links are also off my list for this very reason (including Isa Browns, which you already mentioned, and something named Red Star or something like that? All those high-production hybrids).

 

[BY Bob]

Integration Day 2

Overall today went pretty well. The Newbies were successful in avoiding Aurora all day. They scattered when she came by and no one challenged her. Lilly caught up with Sansa once and that was all the enforcement Lilly did herself. Hattie wandered through twice and no one bothered her. No one tried to fly the pool.

All relatively calm.

What I did catch on film today was Sansa and Phyllis going at it. It happens twice in the following video. Right at the beginning so don't blink.

I already posted the further coop enhancements. I did also manage to install a mirror in the run for them. Check it out.

Even with the roost lowering, everybody manged to roost successfully.

One of the most fun developments today was Sydney discovering"Table Corn". Sansa figures out what she has been doing and joins in. Check it out.

Overall a better day today. They are still 2 distinct flocks in the same yard but we are moving slowly forward in meeting and coexisting.

 

[micstrachan]

Integration Day 2

Overall tosay went pretty well. The Newbies were successful in avoiding Aurora all day. They scattered when she came by and no one challenged her. Lilly caught up with Sansa once and that was all the enforcement Lilly did herself. Hattie wandered through twice and no one bothered her. No one tried to fly the pool.

All relatively calm.

What I did catch on film today was Sansa and Phyllis going at it. It happens twice in the following video. Right at the beginning so don't blink.

I already posted the further coop enhancements. I did also manage to install a mirror in the run for them. Check it out.

View attachment 2034185

Even with the roost lowering, everybody manged to roost successfully.

View attachment 2034187

One of the most fun developments today was Sydney discovering"Table Corn". Sansa figures out what she has been doing and joins in. Check it out.

Overall a better day today. They are still 2 distinct flocks in the same yard but we are moving slowly forward in meeting and coexisting.

Great day! I could watch chicken videos ALL. DAY. LONG.