Rubber Eggs

[LyndallA]

Hi ya'll,
I've read through many of the threads about rubber eggs and can see that I should start with calcium nitrate and D3 supplement.
Here's my situation (and plea for advice): I'm very new at this. I have 5 Red Stars given to me by a farm neighbor who inherited them from a suburban backyard family member. I have them in a coop in an outdoor enclosed area (i.e., they spend most of their days outside in coastal Oregon where it's off and on overcast/sunny). They are happy with Payback layer feed, food scraps, worm larvae, but will not eat scratch nor oyster shells. I've been feeding them homemade goat cheese, crumbled hardboiled eggs and egg shells occasionally.

Here's my problem:
1) one of the 5 (and I don't know which one) is laying rubber eggs. One of the 5 has a poopy butt. Is it likely the same chicken?
2) looks like I need to do a calcium supplement, but I'm not a chicken whisperer (there's no way I'm giving them a pill or injection). Is there something I can add to their group diet that will help? Liquid in waterer? powder on treats? something to integrate into goat milk cheese?
3) about the poopy butt: have read it might be worms? I can probably get it to together deworm, should I deworm all chickens in case it is worms?

Thank you ALL for your advice and time!

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you know the age of these hens since you are the third owner? The hen may be having a reproductive disorder or may be nearing the end of laying. They may start molting in late summer, and that can cause changes in laying. Giving her calcium citrate with d, about 300-600 mg daily for 7 days, can help rule out a calcium deficiency. The easiest to is pick one up, and pop a tablet into her beak. If she will take it in some scrambled egg, that will work. If she still lays rubber eggs after that, then it may be a problem with her shell gland in the oviduct. Rubber eggs can become stuck or easily broken, so that can cause her real infection problems.

You don’t need to feed scratch or scraps. They do best with just a balanced chicken feed. In summer, they may drink more water and have looser droppings. So, I would stick to mostly chicken layer feed, clean water, and you could give some probiotic plain yogurt 1 TB twice a week. Worming is something many do especially in warm weather. Valbazen 1/2 ml given orally and repeated in 10 days is what I use.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

They are not taking the oyster shell because they are getting calcium in the layer feed, so that's nothing to worry about.

You don't have to be a chicken whisperer to do any of this. The secret is to wait until they've gone to roost in the evening to doctor them and use low light. Pluck one off the roost, pop a calcium tablet in the beak, dose it with the wormer, and set her back on the roost. Next! It's easier if you have a helper to hold the chicken. Oh and yes, worm everybody. Best to discard eggs during treatment and for 14 days after although not everybody does.

 

[cmom]

The rubber eggs are called lash eggs.

 

[Eggcessive]

The rubber eggs are called lash eggs.

In this case, I believe she meant shell-less eggs or normal eggs with only a membrane, missing a shell. Lash eggs are usually solid or semi-solid flesh colored things from salpingitis inflammation of the oviduct.

 

[cmom]

Hi ya'll,
I've read through many of the threads about rubber eggs and can see that I should start with calcium nitrate and D3 supplement.
Here's my situation (and plea for advice): I'm very new at this. I have 5 Red Stars given to me by a farm neighbor who inherited them from a suburban backyard family member. I have them in a coop in an outdoor enclosed area (i.e., they spend most of their days outside in coastal Oregon where it's off and on overcast/sunny). They are happy with Payback layer feed, food scraps, worm larvae, but will not eat scratch nor oyster shells. I've been feeding them homemade goat cheese, crumbled hardboiled eggs and egg shells occasionally.

Here's my problem:
1) one of the 5 (and I don't know which one) is laying rubber eggs. One of the 5 has a poopy butt. Is it likely the same chicken?
2) looks like I need to do a calcium supplement, but I'm not a chicken whisperer (there's no way I'm giving them a pill or injection). Is there something I can add to their group diet that will help? Liquid in waterer? powder on treats? something to integrate into goat milk cheese?
3) about the poopy butt: have read it might be worms? I can probably get it to together deworm, should I deworm all chickens in case it is worms?

Thank you ALL for your advice and time!

Could you post a picture of one of the rubber eggs?