Is she OK or Should I Worry?

[Fang]

Gertrude is a Speckeldy Hen, and lays medium sized speckled eggs. Shes filghty and a bit of a scaredy cat and is my husbands pride and joy.

BUT, After a year of normal laying, her eggs are now often cracked in the nest box, or even have totally soft shells, such that they burst when you try to pick them up. She also has a bare bum, where she doesn't appear to getting new feathers after her partial winter moult. One of our other chickens is bare in the bum too, so I'm not too worried about that. Gertrude has a healthy red comb and does not appear at all unwell in any way.

But hubby IS concerned and is hand feeding Gertrude yoghurt to get her calcium levels up.

Should we be worried?

Thanks,

Fang

 

[sourland]

I'm going to assume that you are feeding a balanced laying ration - that plus the added calcium supplement may solve the problem. It is also possible that she is coming to the end of a laying cycle and may be getting ready to go into a molt. Hopefully this situation will resolve.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I'd dust for mites, repeat in 7 days, and dust the coop too.

I'd start mixing some oyster shell into the feed (layer ration as Sourland stated), at 1lb per 20 lb feed per flemingoutdoors:
http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/croysh5lb.html

Once you get your hard shells back I'd go to putting the oyster shell on the side again.

I mix my own feed and if I don't mix my oyster shell right into the feed I end up with everyone giving me shells that are too soft.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps020
charts at bottom are helpful

 

[ericmcginn5]

i would start ussing oscer shells