Help please.

[rebrascora]

I would cut down the scratch to just half a handful, once a day or even cut it out all together for now. The water melon is fine.... it is all water so it doesn't really affect their food intake and the occasional scrambled egg between them all is fine, but not really necessary. I tend to use scrambled egg when they are ill and need building up, but if you have a glut of eggs, treating them occasionally with it is OK.

 

[Nana Ann]

I would just like to add that I don't mean to be critical in any of the comments I have made, so please don't feel like I am putting you on the spot or trying to make you feel bad. None of us came into poultry keeping with all the knowledge we need.... it is learned by experience and reading and picking other people's brains. We all like to treat out chickens and chickens love treats, but there is a balance as with everything and it's easy to get too carried away with the treats and not realise the problems that can cause.... especially with the likes of scratch which is pretty much marketed as "chicken feed", so can be very confusing. The formulated feed (layer pellets/crumble etc) contains everything the chickens need to stay healthy and lay eggs. Once you give them anything else, they will eat less of the layer feed, which means that the balance gets thrown off. Top of the pecking order chickens often get first dibs at the treats, so may get more than their fair share, possible meaning that they are more prone to an imbalance and problems as a result. These are just things to be aware of and take into consideration when you start seeing problems.

I didn’t think for one minute you were being critical. Not at all.
I only know what I am told. The guy at the stock feed place told me the Red hen grain mix was all they needed. As far as I understood, scratch mix is something else I brought as a treat, again that was what I read and that’s why they only had a little of that.
I have had my girls for two months and up until a couple of days ago, was getting five healthy eggs a day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Quick update on Miss B, seemed fine this morning, then I found another soft egg in the nest. Although she was acting normally up until my husband went to do some mowing (ride-on is very noisy) Then I saw her huddled under a bush. Tonight I had to carry her into coop, when I left she was sitting in a corner, head facing the corner.
I wonder if she is suffering from stress but I can’t think that would be the reason for the egg problems.
Nothing is ever simple.......

They are on Red hen blue, which I was told was a complete diet so they didn’t need any shell grit.

The guy at the stock feed place told me the Red hen grain mix was all they needed.

I have had my girls for two months and up until a couple of days ago, was getting five healthy eggs a day.

Do you have a photo of the bag of feed and the nutritional analysis tag?

Even if the bag says something like "nutritionally balanced poultry feed" it's always best to provide oyster shell free choice for extra calcium.
If she were mine, I would make the oyster shell available free choice, plus give her extra calcium daily (1Tums or 1/2tab calcium supplement like Caltrate) until she lays a hard shell egg.

You are correct in wondering if stress contributes to soft shell eggs - things like the mower, predators and disturbances within the flock can affect laying. Each chicken is really an individual and what upsets one may not even bother another.

Hopefully with getting more calcium into her, she will straighten out. Sometimes they don't. As @rebrascora mentioned, something like a shell gland defect can also cause problems too.

Watch to see if she is lower in pecking order, sometimes that's stress enough. Chickens can be nasty to each other at times. Observe them to see if she is being kept from food/water, if so add another feed station or more. Spread out treats so all can get some. Top hens can't control multiple feed and treat areas at one time, so if you have room, spread it on out.

You're doing very good - 2months in and you noticed her behavior was off.

 

[rebrascora]

My post was a "cover all bases" post, not only for you but the many other people who scan these threads for help with their own chickens that are having similar problems. The difficulty with an inappropriate diet is that it usually takes months to have an impact, so many people assume that because everything has been alright up until now, it is fine to continue. I always worry when I suggest that people might be over treating their chickens or suggesting they might be obese.... it's almost as delicate a subject as telling a person. We all know it is far easier putting weight on than taking it off, so better to be on the lean side and be able to increase the calories.

Out of interest, when you say your main feed "Red Hen" is a grain mix, do you mean that it comprises of individual grains or fragments of grains rather than a homogenous grey/brown pellet or crumbles? If so, you might be better swapping to a pellet or crumble.... there is less waste with pellets. The problem with a grain mix is that the birds can pick out individual components of the mix which they prefer and therefore not get a balanced diet. A bit like children eat the meat and potatoes from their plate but leave the green veg. Some hens love corn and will just pick those bit out leaving other hens to eat the bits they don't like. Chickens can see and pick up the tiniest fragments.... watch them scratching for bugs when they are ranging and they will often peck at and eat things that you can hardly see, so it is not unreasonable to think that they will eat the bits out of a gain mix feed that they prefer. If you want to test it, place a handful of your mix down on a paving slab and see which bits they eat first and which are left. They will even scratch it about to find their favourite bits whereas if you put a handful of food down that is more homogenous, they will usually eat it all without scratching and digging around to find the "best bits". They are not stupid. The pellets have pretty much all the same ingredients in them but it is ground down to a fine powder and then compressed into pellets so that it is uniform and hens cannot pick their favourite bits out and there is much less waste as a result. Depending on the design of the feeder, hens will bill out their food onto the ground so that they can find the "good" bits and the rest can be left to waste and/or attract rats.

I hope that makes sense. I really don't know why they produce those grain mixes. I know it looks bland giving your pets a boring brown pellet everyday, but it is good for them and if they also get to free range then that will satisfy their need for diversity. If you do decide to change, be prepared for them to go on strike and refuse the new food. You will have to be firm for a few days until they give in. Sometimes making a wet mash with the pellets and sprinkling some of their familiar food on it will help them get he hang of it.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Regards

Barbara

 

[happyfrenchman]

This is a total guess as to this chickens condition, with limited inputs, but I think multiple soft eggs are a sign that the egg tract is pushing them through before they are finished...... this is in some cases a sign of infection or other internal issue. Since this is an educated guess at best, the only thing treatable would be infection. (Twisted internals or other issues will be fatal and I am not aware of what can be done about it). I would put this chicken on some kind of medicated chick feed. (If it is an infection, at least that can be treated). It is obvious from looking at the picture, that this chicken does not feel good. It is very unlikely (IMO) it has to do with it's current rations as chickens are pretty tolerant of just about anything that is edible. I would try to manipulate the light so that the days are very short..... (to get her to turn off the egg production and let her rest).
Do not be too surprised if this bird does not survive. Keep it calm and quiet. I would seriously consider the medicated chick feed. I mix it with some water to make a porridge... they like that and it has a lot of water in it too. Get her to start eating that and that only. It sounds like you are doing all you can. Good luck.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is a total guess as to this chickens condition, with limited inputs, but I think multiple soft eggs are a sign that the egg tract is pushing them through before they are finished...... this is in some cases a sign of infection or other internal issue. Since this is an educated guess at best, the only thing treatable would be infection. (Twisted internals or other issues will be fatal and I am not aware of what can be done about it). I would put this chicken on some kind of medicated chick feed. (If it is an infection, at least that can be treated). It is obvious from looking at the picture, that this chicken does not feel good. It is very unlikely (IMO) it has to do with it's current rations as chickens are pretty tolerant of just about anything that is edible. I would try to manipulate the light so that the days are very short..... (to get her to turn off the egg production and let her rest).
Do not be too surprised if this bird does not survive. Keep it calm and quiet. I would seriously consider the medicated chick feed. I mix it with some water to make a porridge... they like that and it has a lot of water in it too. Get her to start eating that and that only. It sounds like you are doing all you can. Good luck.

You are right that infection can cause soft shell eggs, as well as, a number of other things mentioned in previous posts. The only way to know for sure would be to have a gram stain. Antibiotics can be used to treat infection in hens, but I believe the OP is in Australia? She would need a prescription. In the US some injectables are still available OTC, but those are limited.

"Medicated Feed" that you buy at feed stores in the U.S. does not contain any antibiotics, so that would be of no help. Medicated feed usually contains amprol/amprolium which is a coccidiostat.

I do agree with you in getting her to eat and keeping her hydrated.

 

[Nana Ann]

Thank you all for your input. I’ll try and work my way through your suggestions.
It’s night here now, so I think I have a plan for her in the morning. She was fine most of yesterday so I just kept an eye on her, it was later in the day before she started showing signs of being unwell again or I would have tried something earlier.
I didn’t keep the food bag, but I know it’s 18% protein.
Will update tomorrow.