Margo is in Trouble

[Kiki]

Oh, really? I have a little countertop oven I usually throw them in after rinsing and then bake them all at 250 for 20-30 minutes all together (since I’m not sure I get them perfectly rinsed... also, the liner membrane thing crumbles better after baking.)

Yes really.
I rinse mine...and leave them to dry on a napkin.
They crumble just fine even with the membrane still attached.

 

[aart]

I've seen them stand funny when a softies is in the pike..

 

[rebrascora]

Better to give her a liquid calcium supplement that can go through her system quicker and be absorbed more readily.

I never bake egg shells to feed back to hens. I don't even rinse them. I just air dry them and then crush them. That said, I learned a habit from my mother of scraping all the egg white out of the shells with my finger into the bowl or pan when I crack them open (no doubt a war time trick when eggs were precious and nothing was wasted), so there is very little egg material left in my shells and it dries too quickly to support bacterial growth. The small amount of egg white that dries in the shells is all good protein for the hens and makes the shells more attractive for them to eat.

 

[micstrachan]

So, I never saw a soft egg. And Margo wasn’t necessarily laying every day. I’m not totally convinced that’s the issue. But that would be most likely statistically, right?

 

[Kiki]

If she didn't just lay a soft shelled egg then how can this be the problem?
I don't think this is a soft shell egg being stuck problem at all.

It could be something related to the egg laying parts of her but it is anyone's guess.

 

[casportpony]

She's behaving very much like mine do when they hold onto a shelled egg for too long. Once they lay the shelled egg they get super depressed an look like they are about to die. Sometimes peafowl lose the ability to stand and I'm not sure if that's from hypocalcemia or something else.

 

[micstrachan]

Ok... most of you think it’s a softie. I’ll go with that. I don’t have liquid calcium, but can crush a tablet. Gave her some (half a 400 mg pill) this morning. I hate the thought of stressing her out and handling her right now, but she needs the calcium before bed, right? I’m going to try it in a raw egg yolk as a treat, not forced. Wish me luck.

 

[rebrascora]

 

[Kiki]

I know y'all aren't going to like this but...is it possible she is stressing when you are around her?

 

[Kiki]

Ok... most of you think it’s a softie. I’ll go with that. I don’t have liquid calcium, but can crush a tablet. Gave her some (half a 400 mg pill) this morning. I hate the thought of stressing her out and handling her right now, but she needs the calcium before bed, right? I’m going to try it in a raw egg yolk as a treat, not forced. Wish me luck.

She JUST laid a hard shell egg a few hours ago.