How long do hens live? Normal lifespan / cycle?

[Tracydr]

I find alfalfa is a great supplement to harden egg shells. If you're still getting soft egg shells with free choice alfalfa , oyster shell and good layer feed, I'd start looking at a mineral interaction. You may have too much zinc, phosphorous or magnesium in the diet.
Maybe just switch feeds and see if that helps.

 

[Gypsi]

The eggshell problem may have been my rusty pipes, which were galvanized with zinc. They rusted out last week, most are now changed to pvc. There are still a couple of galvanized pipes in good condition under the house. Waiting and seeing, in the meantime I bought them some more yogurt.

And got 5 americauna chicks at the feed store today. One with a crossed beak. But chicken math finally got me.

Gypsi

 

[Gypsi]

Well, alfalfa with raw egg busted over it is attractive, I fed back the soft shelled egg. Went back to yogurt with busted up eggshells in it for a treat (cheaper than buying eggs, I get about a week out of a quart of yogurt), and I got 3 good eggs today, but still one broken one in the nest box. I changed the straw and let them clean up the egged straw in the run.

I read all of the egg-laying articles on the sticky today. The Barred rock lays an egg about every 3 days, her egg is darker. The production reds still lay almost every day, but they are the ones with the calcium problem. Someone suggested that might be their age?

Gypsi

 

[tinychicky]

on average maybe 7 though many people who keep them as livestock don't keep them past 2 years-laying really starts to go downhill from there. they might get into thier teens but that would be really old.

the oyster shells may be too big for them. i prefer to mix the grit and oyster shell into the feed. they eat it much more readily that way especially if i mix some scratch feed in too. they may also have mites. the stress could cause the shelless eggs and reduce their laying rate.

 

[Gypsi]

Thank you.

I'm going to Put Diatomaceous Earth in the nest boxes and dusting area tomorrow, and get some orange oil for the perches. I dusted with sevin a few weeks ago, but I don't like to use pesticides, and dusting 5 birds by myself meant I breathed plenty of sevin, and so did they.

(I also have a sulfur dusting sock I use for chigger prevention - would that help?) I don't think they have mites, but I do want them to be healthy. They are all approaching 2 years old. I thought I'd just have the same hens forever, I would feed them and they would lay me eggs forever. I get attached to my pets.

The learning curve is still slower, and easier, than beekeeping. my bees all died on October 4th and 5th. And it wasn't even me using the sevin dust on the hens...

Gypsi