Is this ok?? Soft shell?

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you! I found the hen! Everyone else laid today but her so I will do this and maybe all will be well! Seems she laid that egg very early around 5 this morning which is very unlike her as she is an afternoon layer but hasn’t laid in a few days.

Wonderful! Glad you found her.

It takes about 25 hours between eggs, so each day they generally lay about an hour later than they did the day before. So it makes sense that if she laid her previous egg late in the afternoon, her next one would be early the following morning and so it continues, if that makes sense?

Stress can also cause shell-less eggs, as I recently discovered after dealing with a couple of snakes in my hen house.

 

[LadyBubbles]

Wonderful! Glad you found her.

It takes about 25 hours between eggs, so each day they generally lay about an hour later than they did the day before. So it makes sense that if she laid her previous egg late in the afternoon, her next one would be early the following morning and so it continues, if that makes sense?

Stress can also cause shell-less eggs, as I recently discovered after dealing with a couple of snakes in my hen house.

Today is the second time she laid a soft shell egg- I had to wash her booty yesterday evening and she just stood around after that. Now that I’m thinking about it the first soft shell I also washer her booty that previous night as well. Can this be enough to stress her? She was getting picked on by one of my top hens over food but nothing super major as well.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Today is the second time she laid a soft shell egg- I had to wash her booty yesterday evening and she just stood around after that. Now that I’m thinking about it the first soft shell I also washer her booty that previous night as well. Can this be enough to stress her? She was getting picked on by one of my top hens over food but nothing super major as well.

How many feeders do you have? Could be useful to add at least one more. Be sure they are not visible from each other, that is, a bird eating from one cannot be seen from the other feeder. It's possible your hen isn't getting enough to eat and also is being stressed by being bullied. Feel her crop in the evening to see if it's full. Also feel her breastbone (keel) and see if she feels thin and boney, or nice and full and rounded like a grocery store bird. That will tell you if she's getting enough to eat.

 

[LadyBubbles]

How many feeders do you have? Could be useful to add at least one more. Be sure they are not visible from each other, that is, a bird eating from one cannot be seen from the other feeder. It's possible your hen isn't getting enough to eat and also is being stressed by being bullied. Feel her crop in the evening to see if it's full. Also feel her breastbone (keel) and see if she feels thin and boney, or nice and full and rounded like a grocery store bird. That will tell you if she's getting enough to eat.

I have two feeders for 8 birds and two waterers. Feeders are one metal open feeder and the other is a bucket with head holes has 4.
I’ll add another feeder her bone is not super bony and feels about the same as the rest maybe a little a little under. I did just work them with equimax for the second dose for tape worms not sure if that has anything to do with it. I’m wondering if the feed store agave me starter instead of layer although they look the same - layer has more chunks

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The only real difference between layer and starter is that layer includes calcium, but that doesn't really matter if you have oyster shell available for them to free feed. They'll take what they need if there's none in the feed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How much protein is in your feed?

 

[LadyBubbles]

I think 23 I also just received the calcium citrate d3 and these pills are huge! lol how do I administer? I did have to do a hard swap on feed which I never do but I imagine this is hard on them as well. I kept getting moldy bags of feed so we just changed back without integrating

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Just pull down gently but firmly on her wattles or the soft flesh under her beak to get her to open her beak and pop it in. I know the pill looks huge, but a chicken can easily swallow a mouse or a frog whole, so don't worry, she can swallow the pill just fine. If you have a helper to hold her, it's easier. If not, wrap her with a towel to keep her from flapping.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Just put it in her beak, don't try to stuff it in the opening at the back. That goes to the lungs.

 

[LadyBubbles]

Just put it in her beak, don't try to stuff it in the opening at the back. That goes to the lungs.

I did the calcium, scrambled eggs and eggs shells and today this happened! Should I be excited or concerned? I’m mean I’m glad she laid this finally but omg!