Sad egg/pullet situation

[warmheart]

OMG!! Prudence just laid a firm, smooth, light tan, normal-seeming large egg!

I can't distinguish it from even one of the store-bought light tan ones in the carton! Maybe this means that she will feel well and be healthy. Thanks ChicksGalore for your support. Sounds like you love your chickens a lot. Lucky birds!

 

[lizanne]

Yea!!!! Congrats!!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

OMG!! Prudence just laid a firm, smooth, light tan, normal-seeming large egg!

I can't distinguish it from even one of the store-bought light tan ones in the carton! Maybe this means that she will feel well and be healthy. Thanks ChicksGalore for your support. Sounds like you love your chickens a lot. Lucky birds!

YAY!!!!!!!!! I'm am sooooo glad!!!!! I love 'em to pieces! They get spoiled in every way possible! I'm going to start a mealworm farm when my egg funds allow. I am really excited!!

 

[cmom]

Congratulations...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Welcome! It is not strange at all to become attached to a chicken. I started with 7 and as of right now have 31 adults. (not including babies)

Chickens do not do well with change, no matter how small you think that change is. Just about everything eats chicken, so they are naturally very cautious. Extreme stress like yours have been through can cause laying issues (from soft shelled eggs to no eggs) for weeks. If the stress is enough, it can also cause them to go into a molt. (they don't usually do not usually lay eggs when molting) So if it starts looking like a pillow exploded, don't freak out.

Definitely add some oyster shell on the side. Washed sour cream containers work well and are easy to nail to the wall of a coop. If you have lots of small pebbles around, you may not need to supplement with grit. But if you don't, you would want to add grit on the side as well. Grit is necessary for them to break up grasses and other tougher food material in their crop.

As for them being friendly, that is very much caused by the personality of the chicken. Some like to be held, and some don't. The more they are handled, the more they get used to it. And congrats on the first "normal" egg.

 

[off-grid hen]

Glad to hear she laid a normal egg! I hope subsequent eggs are just as good!

 

[warmheart]

Thank you so much for the support! Prudence laid a totally normal brown egg today, smooth, firm, and a true brown egg color! She is going to be okay!

I am grateful for the guidance here, and really relieved to find others who have gotten attached to their chickens. Love the mealworm farm idea! I'll watch for molting. Thank you! There's a pile of oyster shell that none of them seem to want to eat.

 

[foxy2320]

Glad to hear that she's back in the swing of things, that means she likes her new home! Good job being patient, it's not easy on us chickie mommas!

 

[cmom]

Keep the oyster shells available for them. They will take what they want/need. I fill a pot with grit and oyster shells and about once every week or two I add more. They take what they want.

 

[warmheart]

Everyone has been so encouraging. Thank you! Another perfect, firm, smooth, brown egg today. Plus, the 3 pullets now are acting more like a cohesive flock, so Prudence won't feel so lonely. Thanks again, all!