Hi I am joining BYC after a few years of just reading all the wonderful information here. I have had two chickens, Red and Turbo, since they were about 4 months old. They were bought together from Tractor Supply and have remained together almost watching each others backs. They have started having some egg issues and I want to make sure that they are ok. Red is a red colored chicken (don't know the breed being as how they were given to me when they were older) Her brown eggs are corrugated now almost everyday but then will lay for a week nice and pretty eggs, Turbo is what I believe is a leghorn and makes extra large eggs that look great but when cooked the white part seems watery. After looking over your common egg issues I'm nervous about what could be wrong with them. Being as they live together just the two and share food and water could only one be sick? Ill take some pictures and post later. Thank you and I look forward to having a happy healthy flock!
Welcome to BYC -- they were 4 months old when you got them, but how long have you had them? I ask as the issues you are seeing are often noted in aged layers as egg quality often declines significantly after the third or fourth laying cycle (so at 3-4+ years). Hens can, and do, produce beyond that point, but the quality and quantity produced will often drop off quite notably -- especially true of the commercial strains such as leghorns and production bred birds who have been purposefully bred for lots of production over longevity of production.
Thank you for your response. Yes I left that part out, I got them Oct 2013. That would make them older than I thought. Here are some pictures. So does that mean that they are done laying or that the eggs are going to just look funny? I don't want to give them and meds if they are not sick. They sure do not act sick at all. Thank you again.
Do you feed them layer, and also have a container out with crushed oyster shell for them to have free choice.? Maybe at their age, they don't absorb the calcium as well. I'm no expect. You could also post at "Chicken behaviors and egg laying."
Good evening! I do give them layer feed and they get oyster shell in their pen regularly. Thank you for your help. I look forward to learning much more from BYC.
