I'm so CONFUSED about my Buttons!!!! *UPDATE: Now laying Shell-less Eggs!!!*

[PoultryQueen29]

I got a pair of buttons on Saturday, February 4th (about 3 weeks ago) and my hen has been the oddest layer ever since. She laid on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and then 2 eggs on Friday. She skipped 3 days then laid on Tuesday and her egg was in a little nest I think she had been building during the 3 days. She laid for 4 days straight and then stopped and hasn't laid for 5 days now. These are my first buttons so I dont know what to think. I was just going to start collecting eggs to incubate and she decided to stop laying

I was thinking she is going to lay a clutch maybe? I'm getting really frustrated because I don't know whats wrong with her! Is she sick?

 

[PoultryQueen29]

I should also state that I cleaned her cage on Tuesday the 21st and she had already gone 2 days without laying. Would the stress of the clean-out make her stop for even longer? She's been in the new setup for 3 days now so I would think she'd be comfortable again.

 

[PoultryQueen29]

Anyone have an idea?

 

[xchairity_casex]

i wouldnt worry about it i have a red breasted hen who has always been a bit of an "odd layer" she went for about 2 months without laying a single egg once then began again but i never know when ill get an egg from her.

shes in good health active,eats good,happily coos and mates with her male so im not worried about her.

just give her some time and see how things go but again i wouldnt worry about you might try putting her into more natral daylight (but not direct sunlight) and see if ti helps

 

[PoultryQueen29]

Well she layed yesterday and today but they were both shelless and she squashed the first one. I feed her gamebird feed from southern states which she has been eating her whole life and I give her oyster shell (crushed up small), mealworms, and alfalfa hay. What's wrong? Is she just stressed and needs to get back into the swing of laying?

 

[xchairity_casex]

do have any idea how old she is? she sounds like shes getting good nutrition and i cant imagine she would STILL be stressed after 3 weeks.

 

[PoultryQueen29]

She was hatched in August, 2011 so she's about 6 months old. I was talking about her being stressed about me cleaning her cage a week ago and changing the whole setup. I moved the plants to the other side of the cage and did the same with the little hut I have in there.

 

[PoultryQueen29]

She laid another one early this morning and I decided to cut it open. What in the world is that stuff in it????

 

[jbobs]

Well for starters, she just had a move to a new home and that has probably stressed her a bit. keep her quiet for a week and then start start collecting eggs. It is normal for some birds to quit laying for up to two week after being moved so you're lucky she is laying right away. make sure she has enough calcium in her diet. She should be getting layer crumbles as a diet - no pet store stuff. You can add a little bit of powdered calcium to her food once a week (you can buy this in the reptile section of the pet store, or buy a 50lb bag of it at the feet store!) When you want her to lay eggs, she should be exposed to 12-14 hours of natural or incandescent light every day. If you want her to continue to lay and stop once she has a clutch, you must remove the eggs daily and set them aside for artificial incubation. A lot of buttons will go broody and hatch their own so that is an option too but if you want max production out of them, take away the eggs. In my experience butt0ons are not as prolific layers as coturnix or bobwhites but do lay fairly regularly. if she is a "pet" do not make her lay for long periods of time. Get enough to make a batch and then take her off the lighting so you don't wear her out.

 

[jbobs]

LOL just read your other post, so she is on gamebrd ration which is good. i would use the powdered calcium from the reptile section as it also contains some vit. D which is nessesary for processing calcium, and I often wonder if they injest enough of the crushed oystershell. I don't care much for buttons just because they seem to be major stresscases and freak out easily. You can try keeping her in low light for a few days and then increase the photoperiod to a 14 hr cycle to see if that gets her back into the swing of things. The dark bits are just meat spots, little bits of clotted blood which might mean she's had a bit of a traumatic ovulation. i wouldn't worry about it. Try to keep things the same in the cage and not bother her to keep stress at a minimum and do less of mealworms and more of just the game ration.