Hen's Egg after molt?

[OkieB]

I have a Cinnamon Queen that is laying a strange egg still 2 months after her molt. I would say that 50% of the time the egg breaks while she laying or shortly after if it is jostled. I feed Purina Layena Crumbles, Flock Raiser Pellets. She has access to Oyster Shells and Grit. And they free range almost every day. I also feed treats occasionally... Meal Worms, Cabbage, Lettuce, Corn, Oatmeal. I am attaching pictures. Thanks in advance!

 

[Leihamarie]

I had this happen with my head hen/best layer. From the time she started laying in Dec of 2016 she missed a total of 2 days up until Novembet 2017! Her shell began to get a bit thin and sort of crumbly around August 2017 to the best of my recollection. Little crush marks would appear with the SLIGHTEST pressure. She's a young hen so it wasn't age. She also had ACV in her water consistently, good layer food, good calcium (egg shell and oyster... Hen's choice) and ate plenty of both.

Before her molt last fall, she started to become egg-bound. She laid a couple of rubber eggs that took intervention to purge. I took her to the vet and paid $300 to have her implanted so she would't lay for at least 4 months... Well, it lasted 2 and a half months, lol! She molted, took a couple months off and started laying again in Late Jan/ early Feb of this year. So far, her eggs are good! Strong (if SLIGHTLY thin) shells with just a tiny bit of calcium deposit on top. Now my other EE, who DIDN'T molt last Fall and who has been laying consistently for about a year is starting to get thin shells like my head hen had. I think sometimes their bodies just need more of a break!

How long did your girl stop laying during her molt? If you have an Avian vet you might consider having her implanted to give her body an extra long break and see how she does afterward. The implant goes in her neck, takes less than 5 minutes and is really non-invasive. If I had to have it done every 2.5 months it wouldn't be affordable but if it was just a one-off or needs to be done annually, it's financially feasible.

*edited for spelling and content*

 

[OkieB]

I had this happen with my head hen/best layer. From the time she started laying in Dec of 2016 she missed a total of 2 days upintil Novembet 2017! Her shell began to get a bit thin and sort of crumbly around August 2017 to yhe best of my recollection. Little crush marks would appear with the SLIGHTEST pressure. She's a young hen so it wasn't age. She also had ACV in her water consistently, good layer food, good calcium (egg shell and oyster... Hen's choice) and ate plenty of both.

Before her molt last fall, she started to become egg-bound. She laid a couple of rubber eggs that took intervention to purge. I took her to the vet and paid $300 to have her implanted so she would't lay for at least 4 months... Well, it lasted 2 and a half months, lol! She molted, took a couple months off and started laying again in Late Jan/ early Feb of this year. So far, her eggs are good! Strong (if SLIGHTLY thin) shells with just a tiny bit of calcium deposit on top. Now my other EE, who DIDN'T molt last Fall and who has been laying consistently for about a year is starting to get thin shells like my head hen had. I think times their bodies just need a break!

How long did your girl stop laying during her molt?

Wow. Lots of similarities here. She was my best layer as well! She stopped laying about 2 1/2 months while molting. I had another hen that I bought with her that passed away when she was 9 months. Our vet did an autopsy and found that she had a ruptured Oviduct. I'm not sure what to do other than wait. I'm not in a position to spend excess money on her at the moment. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Leihamarie]

Aw, sorry for your loss! Good luck with this little gal! Keep me posted on what happens, would ya? You might call your vet and ask how much an implant would be. I'm in San Diego and just an EXAM is $68 so... Everything's super exppensive out here. Your vet might be more affordable!

 

[OkieB]

Will do. I'm in Oklahoma. But the problem is that there isn't an Avian Vet anywhere close...

 

[Leihamarie]

Ahhh... Yeah. I really lucked out... There's an avian/exotic vet a couple miles away (practically in my back yard as far as avian vets go!) with 2 vets that have backyard chickens themselves and have a large client base of backyard chickens as well. They're CRAZY expensive as far as poultry care goes (I can't get a chicken in and out of there for under $200 it seems) but definitely have saved the day on more than one occasion!

 

[RWise]

I too keep oyster shell out, but some of my girls will not eat it. For them I put out egg shells, (can be toasted/crumbled if you wish), I see all of the girls getting into them.

 

[aart]

I have a girl laying those, tried direct feeding calcium supplements, didn't help.
She'll be going into the freezer here soon, and will make some really good soup/stock.
It stinks, but some birds are just 'lemons', especially high production hybrid layers who are more susceptible to reproductive system problems.