Should we stop layers pellets?

[Kirklasu]

Born before August 2022 we took in a very pale & lame young chicken of 2 or 3 months old.

We nurses her for 4 months.

By January 2023 she was looking beautifully healthy with upright red comb and silkie feathers and could walk ok though had sensitive and we think painful legs. She began laying on January 16th. She was the same healthy looking chicken in early April by photograph but had stopped laying after March 22nd (after 38 eggs since Jan 16th)



She became ill shortly after 23rd March until shortly before 4th April (7-13 days of illness and ceased laying during this time for 13 days)

Then resumed egg laying regularly from April 4th but all soft eggs (14 soft eggs) until 1st May when eggs became seldom and still soft ( 3eggs) until 8th June when she laid last soft egg.

No eggs since then up to now (8/8/23)

What should we feed her? We’ve been giving her layers pellets as we feared insufficient calcium but as she’s not laying at all do we continue?

 

[rosemarythyme]

If she's not laying at all then layer feed is not needed as the excess calcium is intended for eggshells.

All flock, grower, non medicated starter would be fine to feed her, anything that's around 1% calcium.

 

[Tonyroo]

Her sporadic egg laying sessions and soft shell makes me believe she not getting enough calcium and protein to sustain her overall health.

I would give her a 20% protein feed and supplement her with one calcium tablet every other day for 7 to 14 days. Depending on how fast she can rebound from her situation to get her back to normal. Just a suggestion.

 

[Kirklasu]

If she's not laying at all then layer feed is not needed as the excess calcium is intended for eggshells.

All flock, grower, non medicated starter would be fine to feed her, anything that's around 1% calcium.

Thank you that is very helpful

 

[nuthatched]

Have you ever wormed her or treated her for vitamin deficiency

 

[Kirklasu]

Her sporadic egg laying sessions and soft shell makes me believe she not getting enough calcium and protein to sustain her overall health.

I would give her a 20% protein feed and supplement her with one calcium tablet every other day for 7 to 14 days. Depending on how fast she can rebound from her situation to get her back to normal. Just a suggestion.

Thank you. That’s why we’ve continued with the layers pellets but it’s gone on so long. It’s worth a last try though as she was our best layer when she first layed… though she was a late starter due to illness / lameness

 

[Kirklasu]

Have you ever wormed her or treated her for vitamin deficiency

No we’ve never wormed her but we have given her drops to boost her with many really good vitamins in it. Drops right down her throat.
I have also treated her with Elector PSP as I was worried I could see low level lice on her feathers