Not sure where to put this: Potential EE Death Diagnosis

[Sinadrea]

Are you also providing crushed granite grit for digestion, and crushed oyster shell for calcium, to make good egg shells?

I regularly provide oyster shell mixed with baked egg shell bits, and sometimes grit but need to do it more often.

 

[Sinadrea]

Correct me if I'm wrong cause I think this may be a contentious issue (I've gone down a rabbit hole on it here before) but doesn't the layer feed have enough calcium on it's own? I was feeding all-flock for a while and had crushed oyster shell on the side (or egg shell if I had some) but then switched back to layer and they still ate the shells so I have always wondered. I never have high-production breeds and that's why I took them off layer initially.

I have one hen who eats the oyster shell and you can see the extra buildup on her eggs. My Rooster also likes them from time to time so hopefully he will be okay also.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I regularly provide oyster shell mixed with baked egg shell bits, and sometimes grit but need to do it more often.

Sometimes they can get what they need from the dirt in their area, but I just always like to always provide it as a kind of insurance. They can certainly die if they don't have what they need in their gizzards to grind their food for proper digestion. They need it because they have no teeth.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sometimes they can get what they need from the dirt in their area, but I just always like to always provide it as a kind of insurance. They can certainly die if they don't have what they need in their gizzards to grind their food for proper digestion. They need it because they have no teeth.

Sorry, to be clear I'm speaking of grit.

 

[Sinadrea]

Sometimes they can get what they need from the dirt in their area, but I just always like to always provide it as a kind of insurance. They can certainly die if they don't have what they need in their gizzards to grind their food for proper digestion. They need it because they have no teeth.

Thanks, I'll try giving them more grit.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Great, I hope it solves the problem. It really is critical. But it seems you'd have lost more than one chicken if that was the issue, so we'll keep thinking!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She stopped laying a little bit after my area had a flood in June.(My Polish hen was wiped out immediately by mites at that time) My EE's comb turned pale for weeks and she became lethargic. She never went back to herself. Sometimes she would wheeze but it would go away after a few days.

I have seen a few shell less eggs in my coop and to the best of my knowledge they were hers.

I'm sorry for your losses.

Looking back at the thread about your chick, it seems that was a tragic accident. So, not an illness.

The EE, you mention she stopped laying eggs a couple of months ago, but did find soft shelled eggs you thought were hers.
There's no way to know why she died unless a necropsy is performed, either through your state lab or you do your own informal investigation.
That said, my speculation would be she may have been egg bound or perhaps she succumbed to a reproductive disorder.
So very hard to know and it can be sad.

Provide your flock with fresh feed, fresh water, oyster shell and grit (crushed granite) free choice. Keep the coop/run relatively tidy.

 

[Sinadrea]

I'm sorry for your losses.

Looking back at the thread about your chick, it seems that was a tragic accident. So, not an illness.

The EE, you mention she stopped laying eggs a couple of months ago, but did find soft shelled eggs you thought were hers.
There's no way to know why she died unless a necropsy is performed, either through your state lab or you do your own informal investigation.
That said, my speculation would be she may have been egg bound or perhaps she succumbed to a reproductive disorder.
So very hard to know and it can be sad.

Provide your flock with fresh feed, fresh water, oyster shell and grit (crushed granite) free choice. Keep the coop/run relatively tidy.

Thank you for the advice!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Usually layer feed, chicken scratch, and whatever they find in the yard (grass, dandelion, bugs, mulberries are in season) Since we have chicks we have been using chick starter feed instead of layer feed for the past 6 weeks.

How often do you feed the scratch?
Never answered.

 

[Sinadrea]

How often do you feed the scratch?
Never answered.

It's mixed in with the layer/chick feed. I usually put 10% in feed but sometimes give them all a handful when they beg at my door.