ut-oh..RUBBER EGGS!!!! We have four girls approx 18 weeks old. The Barred Rock and Red Sex link have been each laying every other day for the last 10 days. They stated out beautiful hard shelled brown eggs. (The Easter Egger and Buff Orpington haven't started yet, I don't think???) Someone has laid a rubber egg twice now. and not where they usually lay their eggs, it's almost like they just fell out while they were walking around. I cannot figure out who it is but I think it's one of the two that have already started laying regular nice hard shelled eggs. Could the heat be stressing them and causing this? They free range the backyard during the day but unfortunately its mostly rock so they don't have access to much in for for of greenery out there. I feed them Bar Ale feed from 1 Stop along with some left overn Scratch n Peck starter feed I got at the co-op (it's NOT scratch, it's a balanced no gmo, organic soy free whole food) The ONLY thing I've been doing differently is giving them more goodies, i.e. apples, watermelon, lettuce, and other fruit I can freeze to help cool them on these hot days. Could the addition of fruits cause rubber eggs because they're not eating as much of the Bar Ale pellets? In addition they get free feed oyster shell and grit, which they love! Oh I almost forgot, they also get snacks of sprouted shelled sunflower seeds and dried meal worms.
I'm hoping it's just the heat or them getting used to their new talent and not something I'm doing wrong
On the hottest of days, I give my girls electrolytes in their water. I use Rooster Booster brand with added vitamins and lactobacillus. I've also switched to a 20% feed, I notice a real difference in egg quality and their feathers. My older girls' feathers look horrid from a bad feed so I can't wait until they molt and grow new ones, but starting my new girls with this new feed has worked wonders.
My girls HATE getting wet, but they love when I keep an area in the shade moist. They sit and watch me spray it with hose then run like crazy to dig in the mud. Once the mud dries a bit, they spend a couple hours dust bathing in the "moist dirt", then they just sit in their holes and fall asleep, LOL!!