Mystery Hen

[Stephoney]

Okay, I guess it’s wait and see. Do you think I should I continue to give her the calcium citrate for several weeks if I don’t have evidence that she’s laying?

 

[azygous]

No. Only continue it for as long as she's behaving "off". Once she behaves like she's feeling well again, even though she may not be laying, it's best to discontinue the citrate.

If she does begin to lay again and the eggs are of poor shell quality, then give the citrate for a few days until the eggs are of good quality.

 

[Stephoney]

I suppose I’m not sure exactly how she’ll act differently. When I first started investigating, I was mostly just looking for reasons why she would have odd breathing patterns after being picked up and why she rocked when she sat. She just seemed uncomfortable. She otherwise already acts pretty normal, minus the surprise double yolk that showed up a few days ago. I only handled her that day because I was checking for a water belly which might have explained the labored breathing. Should I just be looking for her to stop having those breathing issues? I would honestly be fine if she never laid another egg as long as she lived to old age. I don’t want to compromise her kidneys by keeping her on the calcium. I also don’t want to stop before her deficiency is resolved.

 

[azygous]

I feel deficiencies can be adequately resolved by feeding a well balance commercial feed that has all the minerals and nutrients she needs, along with good quality oyster shell with good size particles, not powdery residue. Calcium citrate is for reproductive crises and for correcting shell quality. Once those are achieved, the citate is too potent to continue as a calcium supplement.

But there is no harm in keeping her on it for another week if you wish. The worst that would happen in that length of time is if she were to lay eggs again, they might be covered in calcium deposits from the excess in her system.

 

[Stephoney]

Alright- thanks. I wouldn’t have considered her in reproductive crisis until I found the two shell-less eggs. That was definitely eye opening. She has access to Purina Layena Crumble, oyster shell and dried, crushed eggshells, too. She gets a snack around bedtime of dried soldier flies and darkling beetles for an extra calcium/protein boost. I was honestly surprised that she was deficient at all. The flock does free range quite a lot. It’s possible she just wasn’t eating enough before moving outside. At any rate, I’ll keep her on the supplement for another week and keep an eye out for calcium heavy eggs. Fingers crossed that’s sooner than later!

 

[Stephoney]

Here’s a short video that shows my Sussex rocking head to tail. Is this normal?

 

[jrichter67]

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy. View attachment 2613966

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

Wow! That was super informative! Although I am not the OP, I am grateful for this information!

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I am not at all an expert, but I had a broiler that breathed like that and it turned out to be worms I sincerely wish you not to have my experience. I did not know how to deal with it and it was a terrible learning experience. The others will know more. Tag them with their names if they don't notice your post. Don't be shy, these people at the very kindest you will ever meet when it comes to helping each other.

much love and prayers for your feather baby

 

[Stephoney]

Good Morning- thank you for replying. I just wormed them last month so I don’t think it’s worms, but I will get a fecal test to make sure. It certainly won’t hurt to rule it out. They do free range on an acre+ so it’s not out the realm of possibility. She’s been on calcium citrate since Monday and hasn’t laid another egg. She appears to feel fine and is eating and moving a little more than usual, which is good. Do you know which people in particular I should tag? Though I’ve read many, many threads over the past months, I don’t know specific people to ask. I really appreciate everyone’s replies. Without a local poultry doctor, this website has been a real godsend.

 

[Stephoney]

A quick update: I gave my hen the calcium citrate for the full week. No change in her behavior since- eating fine, drinking plenty, foraging with the rest of the flock (still slower like before), continues to rock front and back while resting as if she’s breathing hard. She has a full crop at night and an empty one in the morning so it seems she’s digesting just fine. No decline that I can see. No new shell-less eggs in the coop. I haven’t been able to do the fecal float test yet, hopefully this week, but no evidence in observing her poop that she’s sick. I’ve learned to, when I pick her up, lean her forward on her keel bone to keep from putting pressure on her respiratory system. This helps with doing quick checkups on her. My assumption is that she has some reproductive system issue. Since she seems to feel fine, I’ve decided to just let her be. If anyone has another suggestion, I’m all ears.