HELP, VERY CONCERNED.. Cuckoo Maran laying soft shells or not at all...low energy, loss of appetite

ChickenDaughter

Hatching
5 Years
Sep 4, 2014
6
0
9
Seattle, WA
We have Cuckoo Maran named Luna Doo who is 1year and 3months young. She has 3 sisters, PearBear ( Black Australorp), ChouChou( Cochin), and Begal ( Ameraucana) who are all the same age and were all raised together. Luna is mostly an indoor gal because she tries to take out her sisters since they were about 5,6months young... Luna prefers to be with her mama and papa<3


We had to take her into an Emergency Avianary Hospital about 4months ago because Luna was laying soft shells and ended up having one stuck in her vent and the inflammation took place... They stretched her out to clean all the bits of shell and egg debris. Due to being stretched out, Luna now leaks a lot during the day.. It seems it is the same liquid she excretes when laying.. Her butt squirts also when she is grooming her back area...
Dr. Music put her on antibiotics in case it was a viral infection... They did tests, but nothing popped up...

Unlike her sisters, Luna doesn't like to eat oyster shells, or the newly introduced, Limestone... We have grind the oyster shells into a powder, then mix a medley of brown rice, unsweetened coconut flakes, wheat bran, and kefir. If it's not done proportionately to her taste, she won't eat it.. She really dislikes the flavor...

Luna laid a hard shell that was rather frail about a week ago, but otherwise, she goes to sit in her bed to lay for 45mins and nothing comes out.. She does this most days...
My hubby and I also have had to assist Luna with pulling out soft shells from her butt..Of course with Luna's assistance as she pushed, we gently pulled... She also will just push out the broken yolk and egg white...

We feed her organic, GMO-free laying feed from Portage Bay Grange in Seattle.

We are wondering what yall think.. Is it viral or does she just need more calcium?

Thank yall for reading! <3

Ruby& Leon*~
 
We have Cuckoo Maran named Luna Doo who is 1year and 3months young. She has 3 sisters, PearBear ( Black Australorp), ChouChou( Cochin), and Begal ( Ameraucana) who are all the same age and were all raised together. Luna is mostly an indoor gal because she tries to take out her sisters since they were about 5,6months young... Luna prefers to be with her mama and papa<3


We had to take her into an Emergency Avianary Hospital about 4months ago because Luna was laying soft shells and ended up having one stuck in her vent and the inflammation took place... They stretched her out to clean all the bits of shell and egg debris. Due to being stretched out, Luna now leaks a lot during the day.. It seems it is the same liquid she excretes when laying.. Her butt squirts also when she is grooming her back area...
Dr. Music put her on antibiotics in case it was a viral infection... They did tests, but nothing popped up...

Unlike her sisters, Luna doesn't like to eat oyster shells, or the newly introduced, Limestone... We have grind the oyster shells into a powder, then mix a medley of brown rice, unsweetened coconut flakes, wheat bran, and kefir. If it's not done proportionately to her taste, she won't eat it.. She really dislikes the flavor...

Luna laid a hard shell that was rather frail about a week ago, but otherwise, she goes to sit in her bed to lay for 45mins and nothing comes out.. She does this most days...
My hubby and I also have had to assist Luna with pulling out soft shells from her butt..Of course with Luna's assistance as she pushed, we gently pulled... She also will just push out the broken yolk and egg white...

We feed her organic, GMO-free laying feed from Portage Bay Grange in Seattle.

We are wondering what yall think.. Is it viral or does she just need more calcium?

Thank yall for reading! <3

Ruby& Leon*~

Hi Ruby & Leon,

Sorry to hear your hen is having soft shells. She really sounds like she is not either getting or processing the calcium her body requires to have harder eggsshells.

I have heard of people giving such layers a calcium pill occasionally. Also, perhaps also try mixing up a scrambled egg and breaking up an eggshell or so (cooked in it) along with a small amount of oatmeal or feed in the mix. Douse the cooked egg to be wet with water or watered buttermilk, or yogurt.

Hopefully others might have some more suggestions as well. Good luck!
 

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