Help please STILL getting worried

[Wexford Chuck]

Hi there ,
im pretty worried about my girls, they have ALL suddenly stopped laying. I have 7 hens who have been laying very well all winter, average 6 eggs per day and suddenly today no eggs just a small mess in one of the egg boxes which looks like it could have been an egg without shell but was a bit mustard coloured and slightly crumbly around the edges. I saw one of my girls on the nest for 35 mins and when i approached she stood and looked under herself and there was nothing, then she sat for a further 10 mins then gave up. They dont look they have started to malt and are acting normal, i checked the vents on most of them and seem normal.
i am worried that they may have eaten something from the field next to ours that has just been prepared for planting. Can Fertilizer cause these problems and is there anything i can do to solve the problem.
As i say i have never had this problem before and dont want to lose my girls as they are part of the family.
PLEASE HELP OR ADVISE.

 

[ranchhand]

What do you feed them? Do they have access to oyster shell? Any chance they are eating the eggs or that you have a predator getting in?

Sorry it's happening, but stay calm and keep examining the situation.

 

[Wexford Chuck]

Hi Ranchhand,

They are fed a few layers pellets and left to forage for themselves over 16 acres( 3 acres woodland), they have plenty of grit and i have been very fortunate with my girls as they pretty much look after themselves. there is plenty of fresh water and they are wormed regularly , im just worried that all of a sudden all of them on the same day stop laying. i hope that someone might be able to shed some light on to what might be going on.
As for predators i have 2 rather large dogs that keep the girls company during the day, i just cant work it out??????????

 

[herefordlovinglady]

maybe you can find some answers here. good luck hope it is only for today.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=292111&p=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3190226

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=167491

 

[Wexford Chuck]

Thanks Herefordlovinglady,

they certainly are helpful links, at least it could be just a moult as all my girls are around 1yr old and the fine weather we have had the last week or so could have brought it on. i will also try extra oyster shell as this can only help.
please god bless my girls and get them laying soon. or there in the freezer.
thanks again for your help

 

[Wexford Chuck]

I had a few "fart" eggs when the girls were first regulating but these dont even look like eggs
as you can see my girls seem happy enough

and i found these in the nest box

yet they still seem to want to lay

I am still worried as this is day 2 and hope that its not anything that could harm or even kill my girls.
i still need help. should a call the vet?

 

[herefordlovinglady]

You may want to go ahead and talk to a vet, it's Friday and if you don't do something today, you may be faced with worrying all weekend about your girls. I have no clue what is going on.

Let's us know what the vet says. Good Luck.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

How long have your girls been laying? I've seen the same thing, shell-less eggs, from my 3 laying girls occasionally who are relatively new layers, got their first eggs in November. At first it seemed to happen to them at the same time with no real explanation as to why, though the last two times it seemed like it was due to stress. For instance, on Wednesday I had to chase down my free ranging girls (which they totally didn't like, though I had a big smile on my face and a handful of treats they just seem to know that I'm after them) and throw them in the coop mid-day because my husband had let them out by accident. We were having a bunch of friends over for an evening picnic and everyone was going to bring their dogs and I needed them in the coop. Needless to say, they definitely didn't like it and made noise all afternoon. Then yesterday I found two shell-less eggs in the coop that looked at a lot like yours, but everybody seems fine.

I was worried just like you and have posted a couple times about it and everyone always responded that its normal for newly laying hens to have glitches in their systems and lay shell-less eggs occasionally. If they are active, with healthy appetites and appear illness free, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just my opinion...

Good luck!

 

[Wexford Chuck]

my girls started laying non stop since September (about 19wks old) and even a fox getting into them ( i lost 3 before my dogs finished the fox ) didnt put them off their stride, that is why im a bit concerned, as you say they seem very healthy with healthy appetites and drinking plenty without any unusual behavior except for the "phantom laying" they all seem to want to get on the nest but dont deliver.