ISA Brown hen produces large egg - how to reduce egg size

[SkyAJK]

Hello, please help how to reduce egg size.
I have a 1 year old ISA Brown, she weight is is less than 1.5kg, she lays 7 eggs a week and her egg size is between 100 -110g.
She is thin with shinny feather.
She closed her eyes, open her mouth whenever she lays her egg, such a big size egg that must caused her a lot of pain.
Her feed is crumble layer 17% animal protein, with treats of some green leafs vegetable, and fruits.
Previously I reduced her feed and she ate whatever in the bare ground, her eggs reduced in size, but she was behaving she was starving, stealing food from other hens, eating cardboard, ..etc. I was scared and let her back on her free feed again.
I think she will continue laying eggs this way until she run to the ground with eggs laying.
Is there any way her egg size can be reduced without causing her health issue or starvation behaviour? Thanks

 

[nuthatched]

Egg size is based on genetics and the individual bird.
No food will change anything.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Please do not reduce her feed, it won’t change the egg size and won’t keep her healthy. She likely was hungry if she acted that way.
I feed an All Flock type of feed instead of Layer which is higher in protein. You need to give oyster shell on the side if you decide to do this.

 

[bill3607]

ISA Brown is an egg laying machine for about the first 2 years. That does sound like a really big egg at 100-110 grams. These are not double yolk eggs?
Is everyone of them she lays that size? I would love to see a picture of them.

And, like the others said, I wouldn't take away her food because she is laying you some jumbo eggs. Or, should I say XX Jumbo lol

 

[SkyAJK]

I have a mix flock of heritage and ISA brown. The heritage hens lay 3 to 4 weeks a week and size is between 60 - 85gm. This ISA brown is smaller in size, but her egg is massive. I cannot close the egg box on her eggs. Her egg is not double york egg and I feel terrible for her whenever I pick up her egg. Majority of her eggs are between 100-110gm.

I have another ISA Brown also used to have large egg, but she was starting on having reproductive issues so I put her on implant, she stopped laying for awhile but has now started to lay again,but her egg is normal size.

I just look up all flock feed and it says:
"A nutritious, balanced and complete feed that meets the nutritional requirements of a wide range of birds* including chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and quail. *Intended for poultry, gamebirds and waterbirds where their primary purpose is not to lay eggs." The protein is 22%.

I guess as her size is base on her genetics, I might just give her more vegetables and fruits this way she might eat less feed. I still leave it out for her to eat however much she wants.

My worry is that she is soon going to poop out soft shell egg, or egg break inside her or egg bound..etc.. all those reproductive issues like the other one. I am trying to find ways to avoid these health issues for her.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

primary purpose is not to lay eggs

Because it doesn't have enough calcium, which is why you offer oystershell on the side to fix that

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have a mix flock of heritage and ISA brown. The heritage hens lay 3 to 4 weeks a week and size is between 60 - 85gm. This ISA brown is smaller in size, but her egg is massive. I cannot close the egg box on her eggs. Her egg is not double york egg and I feel terrible for her whenever I pick up her egg. Majority of her eggs are between 100-110gm.

I have another ISA Brown also used to have large egg, but she was starting on having reproductive issues so I put her on implant, she stopped laying for awhile but has now started to lay again,but her egg is normal size.

I just look up all flock feed and it says:
"A nutritious, balanced and complete feed that meets the nutritional requirements of a wide range of birds* including chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and quail. *Intended for poultry, gamebirds and waterbirds where their primary purpose is not to lay eggs." The protein is 22%.

I guess as her size is base on her genetics, I might just give her more vegetables and fruits this way she might eat less feed. I still leave it out for her to eat however much she wants.

My worry is that she is soon going to poop out soft shell egg, or egg break inside her or egg bound..etc.. all those reproductive issues like the other one. I am trying to find ways to avoid these health issues for her.

ISA Browns are bred to be egg laying machines that produce a very large egg relative to body size. A consequence of that is a higher rate off egg-laying problems as they age / reproductive issues generally.

There is essentially nothing you can do feed wise to shrink egg size. The difference between a 16% CP feed and a 20% CP feed is typically about 1g for a med-lg to lg egg. Maybe reducing CP drops your average egg from 103 g to 101. I assure you, neither you, nor your bird, are going to notice that difference.

I would start coming to acceptance that this particular bird is unlikely to have a very long life span - she seems primed for early reproductive problems.

Though as ever, that's a probability, not a guarantee.

 

[nuthatched]

I just look up all flock feed and it says:
"A nutritious, balanced and complete feed that meets the nutritional requirements of a wide range of birds* including chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and quail. *Intended for poultry, gamebirds and waterbirds where their primary purpose is not to lay eggs." The protein is 22%.

I guess as her size is base on her genetics, I might just give her more vegetables and fruits this way she might eat less feed. I still leave it out for her to eat however much she wants.

It's listed as not for laying birds since it doesn't contain the high levels of calcium like layer feed. Just make sure she has access to oyster shell.
She is an egg machine and desperately needs the extra protein because eggs are protein!
Don't dilute her nutrition or starve her by feeding vegetables or less feed, culling her would be less cruel

 

[Altairsky]

There is nothing you can do, ISA are basically genetically-abused birds meant to lay as much eggs as possible until they burn out.
Just give her all the food she wants, a high protein all-flock feed with free choice oyster shell would be best.
You can't stop her from laying, she can't stop laying because that's her genetics. Just let her eat all she needs to fuel the unnatural amount of eggs she needs to lay, if you starve her she will consume her own body to make the eggs.

 

[SkyAJK]

This is the hard part about having chickens, that is knowing she will suffer ill health. I just let her be as she is, plenty of feed, and let her free range to her heart content knowing that the end can be anytime soon. It does give me a bit of chill whenever I pick up her egg.

I hope when the time come, I am brave enough to let her goes quickly and painlessly. Culling her myself would be a final knowledge of raising and loving chicken process. Although I doubt that I am up to this final culling part.