I think my chicken pooped this weird thing out...

[Kusanar]

I would suggest having at least one Oyster shell station well away from the feed so that if she is having trouble finding time to grab a bite in between the other birds, she can at least get her calcium in peace (they shouldn't be fighting over that) without having to constantly watch over her shoulder. Lower in pecking order animals usually only get a small amount of tine to eat, and if they have to choose between feed and calcium I bet they will pick feed every time.

 

[Eggcessive]

I save all of my egg shells as well, and crisp them slightly in a 200 defree oven for 5 minutes so they do not burn, and crumble them. They are always eaten before the oyster shell.

 

[azygous]

Multiple factors affect calcium absorption. One is the hen herself. Individuals can absorb calcium at different rates of effectiveness no matter the source.

Another factor is calcium particle size. Despite the source, whether it's oyster shell or ground up limestone, studies have indicated that the larger particles of calcium remain in the digestive track longer than small particles, and result in a higher absorption rate. Commercial layer feed contains limestone calcium, and particle size may make some brands more effective than others.

This brings to mind the powdered mess most oyster shell particles are reduced to over time, leading to a substandard particle size, thus rendering you oyster shell you are providing your layers into a less than optimally effective calcium source. You might wish to check on the condition of the oyster shell you've got in the run to be sure it's full size particles.

If your eyes and brain don't freeze up at the thought of an academic article, here's a good one on the subject. https://academic.oup.com/ps/article/88/2/338/1562994

 

[aart]

her to the university zoo-med vet yesterday

Wow, how great to have this resource nearby and be able to take advantage of it!

 

[Kiki]

Good job on taking her to the vet.
I look forward to the test results.



I am in the layer feed camp because I'd rather prevent giving them a side dish/option to choose to eat the oyster shell.
Some birds just can't be trusted to know what's good for them.

 

[ShannonR]

I am also in camp layer feed. This way, your hens will be forced to consume extra calcium, not pick at it as they please and potentially become deficient. You can still keep the oyster shell stations out if you want.

And also because it seems to me that the added calcium MAY do the roosters some slight harm, but it seems the all flock has already done moderate harm to a hen.... and more hens may follow.

And also, because it's what the vet recommended....

 

[nickylou665]

You can find out by examining the texture. Egg membrane dries up and becomes crispy like paper that's been wet and then dried out.

Tissue is different. It's more like lunch meat in that you can slice into it and you can sense its fleshy texture. Sometimes intestinal lining is shed, and it's very slimy. Sometimes salpingitis produces cheesy chunks that resemble cheese curds in texture.

You will be monitoring her over the next few days for more of these deposits. Also her behavior will give you clues as to how serious you should consider this.

It's totally an egg. I kinda pulled a "suck it up, take an alcoholic shot and gently pull apart the meats-thing to make a shape" and then took it to the vet for confirmation, but it acts like an egg membrane and the vet said it's an egg membrane. Google-fu also showed so many images that matched what I had found with being an egg shell/membrane, versus lash-eggs or lining deposit photos. I'm pretty-darn-gosh-darn-sure it's a gosh-darn-shure egg membrane/thin shell.

Sounds like it was a good vet visit! .... I find especially with the younger layers, that they won't get to them as much if the olders are around them, so I put quite a few out to prevent that, and spread them around. I put them away from the actual feeders, so they are less likely to get blocked by a piggy bird. ....

I think I have associated so hard "so you are EATING so here is some calcium on the side, enjoy" ... that it was natural for me to say "hmmm here is TEH FOODZ SO HERE IS TEH CALIUMS and that will be SWELL." I will be adding some more sporadic calcium picking areas away from the feed.

I would suggest having at least one Oyster shell station well away from the feed so that if she is having trouble finding time to grab a bite in between the other birds, she can at least get her calcium in peace (they shouldn't be fighting over that) without having to constantly watch over her shoulder. Lower in pecking order animals usually only get a small amount of tine to eat, and if they have to choose between feed and calcium I bet they will pick feed every time.

... in hindsight, totally makes sense. I am amending my layout.

I save all of my egg shells as well, and crisp them slightly in a 200 defree oven for 5 minutes so they do not burn, and crumble them. They are always eaten before the oyster shell.

I do this! But I'm not great at it, so it's always a mix of "those eggshells I have saved and that oyster shell I already have". I haven't noticed an inclination between one or the other.

Multiple factors affect calcium absorption. One is the hen herself. Individuals can absorb calcium at different rates of effectiveness no matter the source.

Another factor is calcium particle size. Despite the source, whether it's oyster shell or ground up limestone, studies have indicated that the larger particles of calcium remain in the digestive track longer than small particles, and result in a higher absorption rate. Commercial layer feed contains limestone calcium, and particle size may make some brands more effective than others.

This brings to mind the powdered mess most oyster shell particles are reduced to over time, leading to a substandard particle size, thus rendering you oyster shell you are providing your layers into a less than optimally effective calcium source. You might wish to check on the condition of the oyster shell you've got in the run to be sure it's full size particles.

If your eyes and brain don't freeze up at the thought of an academic article, here's a good one on the subject. https://academic.oup.com/ps/article/88/2/338/1562994

I LOVE A FREE ARTICLE I CAN FALL ASLEEP TO! ...No really, thank you. I appreciate the academic articles. They do take me awhile to chew through. thank you for the reminder to check on the oyster shell, I would not have thought about particle size, but that's a great sticking point.

Wow, how great to have this resource nearby and be able to take advantage of it!

OH MY GOD I KNOW, RIGHT?! It's a mixed bag that I fully lean into - on the one hand I see a different vet every time and it can be pricey. On the other hand, there's a feeling that I know that future Vets of America are seeing my chickens and learning, and there's a heck of a network to tap into. I had a chicken that had lead poisoning a half year-ish ago, and the extent to which the vet went (in my opinion almost above and beyond what I would expect a TYP vet to do) regarding to helping me with egg testing and flock testing, and connections with our agricultural school and their extension offices, things they did not KNOW but they were able connect me to people who could help. Dang yeah.

Some birds just can't be trusted to know what's good for them.

YEAH. Let me tell you about the time my chickens ate the pink foam insulation... ahem.

And also, because it's what the vet recommended....

The vet recommended, but in a soft way. Maybe it's a weakness of him in particular, but if it was a STRONG "no do this" then he could have said, but it was iffy enough that it was a conversation about how to compromise on it. I'm heavily considering it and diving back into nutritional research. No one has died over a year of how I have been feeding them, so they'll be ok... for now. While I re-evaluate. Ahem.

 

[Kiki]

Need some sleepy reading material?
https://www.nap.edu/read/2114/chapter/1

 

[aart]

When I've had pullets reluctant to eat OS, I sprinkled a few pieces on top of the feed for a few days, that seemed to help them 'get it' as they started taking it from the OS feeder soon after.
Also sprinkle some out with scratch grains(which I feed daily because I use a 20% all flock).

I also put dried and crushed egg shell in with the OS on occasion, they do like it.
While they like the egg shell, it's not as good a supplement as OS.
OS stays in the gizzard longer.
Have 2 feeders like this about 8' apart in the coop.