Kelli62081
Hatching
- Mar 10, 2019
- 4
- 3
- 9
Ok Chicken lovers... I need some help! I have 7 hens, 3 are 1.5 yrs old (my originals) and 4 are my new girls that are 19 wks and just started laying. I have noticed a decrease in the older girls egg production and one of my hens (black star) is now laying soft eggs. I've watched her push out the egg and then the yolks squirts out while the soft shell collapses and sticks out of her cloaca. She has also been laying in a basket in our garage and not her nest box. All my girls are fed Purina Layena 16% protein crumbles and I've recently added oyster shell which they dont eat. We also offer oatmeal, boiled eggs with shell crumbled, frozen grapes, mealworms, yogurt and blueberries. I'm not sure if the soft eggs are due to a calcium deficiency or heat stress but I'm worried that she is going to end up with an egg yolk peritonitis. I also wonder why she is laying in the garage and not the coop...is is because of the new layers or does it have to do with the soft eggs? I have also found rubbery empty eggs under her roost bar and under our deck. Is there anything else I can do or try? Do you think it's related to the heat or an actual deficiency? I also should add that she doesn't always lay soft eggs, we still intermittently get normal eggs. Any help or insight would be appreciated. I posted a picture of her soft shell egg and what she laid today (I think it's a large meatspot). There is also a picture of her laying in a basket, not her coop like she used to.