HELP! Chicken is not "packaging" her eggs

[brekke69]

Has anyone heard of this before? My vet is baffled as are his colleagues. About 6 weeks ago, Kitiara started shooting out the egg shell and then the gooey part. The shell looks like a crumpled piece of paper; the yellow and white look normal - just need a frying pan. Does anyone have an idea why? She gets a good variety in her diet (starter meal, seeds, vegies, fruits, "yard food" - anything she finds outside, anything we eat that she wants to try, no chocolate, no spicy stuff, no preservative packed pre-prepared people food). She gets outside everyday (wheather permitting; she won't go out if it is too hot or too cold or raining to hard.) She is eating, drinking, sleeping and pooping as normal as ever. My other chicken, living the same as Kit, is fine. She is 2-1/2 years old. I believe she is a RIR, maybe mixed.

 

[kschnetz]

It sounds like she is not getting enough Calcium to complete the egg shell! The easiest way to give her more calcium is to crush the eggshells from any eggs you use and feed them to your hens. The shells MUST be crushed, if the shells look too much like an egg, then your hens will start to eat their own eggs before you collect them.

Another option is ground oyster shells!

Hope this helps!

 

[casportpony]

When mine are showing signs of insufficient calcium, I give them a human calcium pill.

-Kathy

 

[angel8035]

What kind of food are you feeding? You said "starter" food. That will not do for a laying age hen. You should be feeding a layer food, or you can feed a general purpose flockraiser food and supply crushed oyster shell or egg shells on the side free choice. Also, you may want to cut back on the number of treats if they may be reducing the amount of balanced chicken food your bird is eating. Hope that helps.

 

[casportpony]

What kind of food are you feeding? You said "starter" food. That will not do for a laying age hen. You should be feeding a layer food, or you can feed a general purpose flockraiser food and supply crushed oyster shell or egg shells on the side free choice. Also, you may want to cut back on the number of treats if they may be reducing the amount of balanced chicken food your bird is eating. Hope that helps.

Good catch! My bad for skim reading!

Time to switch to laying pellets or lay crumble, I'd also have a bowl of oyster shell for them.

-Kathy

 

[brekke69]

thanks for taking time to respond, all of you.

my girls do get crushed oyster shells and i have a cuttlefish bone available for them. they do peck at it. sometimes i do crush the eggs shells into their food. maybe i should more often. maybe i need to add some other form of calcium. i might try the human version. thanks for the idea casportpony. i don't really care if she lays eggs. she does not work for me. i just want her to be as cute, funny and healthy as she can be.



she is also very smart. her favorite place to lay eggs is on my pillow. since this mess has started she is now laying her eggs in the eggloo.

Cleo watches, Kitiara doesn't seem to mind.

 

[casportpony]

thanks for taking time to respond, all of you.

my girls do get crushed oyster shells and i have a cuttlefish bone available for them. they do peck at it. sometimes i do crush the eggs shells into their food. maybe i should more often. maybe i need to add some other form of calcium. i might try the human version. thanks for the idea casportpony. i don't really care if she lays eggs. she does not work for me. i just want her to be as cute, funny and healthy as she can be.



she is also very smart. her favorite place to lay eggs is on my pillow. since this mess has started she is now laying her eggs in the eggloo.

Cleo watches, Kitiara doesn't seem to mind.

Do they live indoors? I ask because birds that live indoors often get vitamin D deficiencies. Just remember that egg laying issues can be fatal, just look up egg yolk peritonitis and internal laying.

-Kathy

 

[whitt910]

I wouldn't put egg shells or oyster shells in their food because not all of your hens need the same amount of calcium. If you give it free choice they will eat when they need individually. Although is seems like she might be separate or she is your only hen, but still I wouldn't add it to her food, I would just give it free choice because you could overdose her with calcium by forcing her to eat it in her food.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Do they live indoors? I ask because birds that live indoors often get vitamin D deficiencies. Just remember that egg laying issues can be fatal, just look up egg yolk peritonitis and internal laying.

-Kathy

I was wondering the same thing. If these birds are kept indoors you need to make sure that they get outside everyday and get some sun as birds require either sunlight or artificial UV light for their vitamin D.

 

[brekke69]

Hi All,

I want to say I appreciate all comments and advise. You never know what may be the key to finding the answer. I have gotten some information from the Teaching Vet from Iowa State University. The suggestion was lack of, or excess of, Vitamin D, Phosphorus or Calcium. The suggestion was change of diet first. So, I have changed over from the starter/growth formula to the layena. Just because someone works for a place that sells chicks and supplies, don't take them for "all knowing" about chickens. It seems that was one of my faults.

If you look at the picture of the cat looking at my chicken laying an egg, you will see a silver dish next to the eggloo. That is where I put their oyster shells for them to use when needed. I occasionally crush the egg shells in their food. I did notice that Kitiara (the one with the problem) uses this at least a couple times a week; Shim rarely uses it. And trust me, neither of my girls would eat anything she doesn't want. They are very picky. People say "chickens will eat anything." They do not know my chickens! Shim takes dainty bites when she eats, and will never eat anything new unless she sees me eat it first.

They are both "house chickens" but they get out daily. As soon as the sun comes up (weather providing) we are out the door; at lunch (I work close enough to go home for the hour) we are out the door; as soon as I get home in the evening (or, if my guy gets home first) we are out the door; most all day on the weekends we are out. We means all the critters; bearded dragons, cats, dogs, ball python, hermit crabs, dove, guinea pigs, humans.

She started laying something different now. Maybe the change in diet is working.





I'M NOT EATING THAT!!!!!!!